Former inmate charity founder charged with 20 sex-related offenses in Nevada

Jon Ponder, who founded the Las Vegas-based nonprofit HOPE for Prisoners while serving time for bank robbery, was taken into custody on Tuesday on a total of 20 sexually based crime charges. The indictment includes one count of sexual assault, seven counts of unauthorized custodial contact, one count of sexually motivated attempted coercion and eleven gross misdemeanor offenses. Authorities said the arrest stems from an earlier investigation that led to a statewide ban on Ponder’s presence in Nevada correctional facilities after allegations of improper conduct with a female inmate.

The Inspector General’s office examined the claims and relayed its conclusions to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. In the wake of the charges, Ponder’s spouse, Jamie Ponder, filed for divorce, pursued primary custody of their children, and obtained a temporary order of protection citing domestic violence. Ponder, who once addressed the Republican National Convention as a prison-rehabilitation expert, was pardoned in 2020 by President Donald Trump, who later appeared at a HOPE for Prisoners graduation ceremony.