LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — An arrest report obtained by Channel 13 is laying out a disturbing pattern of alleged abuse involving Hope For Prisoners founder and CEO Jon Ponder.
WATCH | Mary Kielar has the latest on Ponder's arrest and the allegations he's facing:
According to the arrest report, Ponder used his contractual relationship with the Nevada Department of Corrections and position of power to sexually abuse female inmates who were affiliated with or actively participating in the HFP program.
One victim told police that she was convicted on a DUI charge and sentenced to prison. She was at Jean Conservation Camp in late 2023 when she began engaging with Hope For Prisoners and Ponder after attending their Christmas event, where women were reunited with their children.
When Ponder told her, "I have a crush on you," she told police that she saw an opportunity to be reunited with her children.
She told police that at the event, Ponder asked her to walk away with him so he could "kiss her." She said this also happened several times when he came to the facility on Sunday nights, with recorded church services from earlier in the day for inmates to watch.
The victim told police that Ponder continued to escalate his behavior, saying sexually inappropriate things, forcing her to perform sex acts on him, and that other inmates began to mistreat her due to the favoritism that Ponder was showing her.
The alleged sexual abuse with Ponder lasted for years, according to the arrest report. She said in February 2026, she stopped attending Hope For Prisoners weekly huddles and her last contact with him was in March.
Another victim told police that she joined the Hope For Prisoners workshop program in October 2025, and she felt Ponder "singled her out." The second time the victim went to a life skills and interviewing class, Ponder called her out of class and told the instructor he needed to talk to her.
Ponder then walked her to his office, closed the door, and immediately began groping her and sexually assaulting her, the report alleges.
She told police that he asked her if she was "cool with this" and even though she said yes at the time, the report states she told police that "I went to Hope for help, and not that I didn't think I was capable of doing it on my own, I just thought that they would be able to get me to the next step."
According to the arrest report, this pattern of abuse continued all the way through March 2026.
"She described being overwhelmed with anxiety accompanied with episodes of shaking and crying," the report states. "[She] observed Ponder's vehicle in the parking lot and [friends] said she 'freaked out.' Her friends asked her if she was okay and she told them, 'Just don't let him pull me outta [sic] class, please.'"
Another victim told police that she was afraid to report the incidents to her parole officer because "I felt like I was gonna get in trouble ... I just, more or less, didn't want people to look at me like I'm dirty."
According to the arrest report, another woman told them that Ponder was like a "father figure" to her and he offered to drive her from Jean Conservation Camp to a gas station to pick up her vehicle. They were talking about life when he allegedly unzipped his pants and exposed himself.
"That's when I realized, oh wow, this is just another predator. I've been in situations; this is just another one," she allegedly told police. "Now I'm stuck, I don't have my car. I proceeded to just get me out of the situation."
Officials with the Nevada Department of Corrections conducted an initial investigation into allegations against Ponder in April through the Office of the Inspector General. They referred the matter to Las Vegas police and banned Ponder from entering any NDOC facility, starting on April 23, 2026.
Several NDOC officers were interviewed and told police about their suspicions, which included Ponder dressing inappropriately and acting like "it was a game" for him; at one point, the officers were "told to stop using proper protocol to check him in." Multiple inmates allegedly complained about how Ponder was showing favoritism, and when correctional officers began reporting those concerns, "Ponder reported to command staff that the correctional officers were 'treating him like an inmate.'"
Las Vegas police searched Ponder's home on Tuesday and found paraphernalia and methamphetamine in the master bedroom closet. Investigators seized additional evidence, which is still being analyzed.
According to the arrest report, when officers arrived at Ponder's home, he "refused to exit the residence" but eventually exited after legal representation was notified and they instructed him to leave. Ponder was read his Miranda rights and "did not wish to speak with investigators concerning the details of this investigation."
Police also searched the Hope For Prisoners office on Tuesda and "managerial employees at the business refused to cooperate with investigators stating Ponder did not have an office at the premise." However, investigators located two offices they believed to belong to Ponder. During the search, they collected bodily fluids.
These are the same patterns of abuse that were allegedly brought to light years ago.
Former Hope For Prisoners employee Rodney Taylor sent a letter to the Hope For Prisoners Board of Directors on May 7, 2020, outlining some of his concerns about Ponder. Board members at the time included Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, Sheriff Kevin McMahill, who was undersheriff at the time, and Gov. Joe Lombardo, who was sheriff at the time.
"There was a standing joke with other staff, during the 40-hour Pre-vocational class, as to which attractive woman Jon was going to invite to speak to, privately, with the door shut, in his office during or after class," the letter reads in part. "He never invited men into his office after class to speak privately with the door closed. He did this in many classes ... I encountered many sexual advances towards Hope graduates, Mentors, and Staff."
The organization looked into some of the claims in 2020, and Ponder was briefly suspended. However, he was reinstated after he received a pardon from President Donald Trump in 2020.
Trump pardoned Ponder for burglary crimes that Ponder was convicted of in the mid-2000s.
"As John says, Hope For Prisoners is a movement that began as a dream in a tiny prison cell and is now making a difference in the lives of thousands, truly bringing hope that there is an opportunity and a community that is waiting and willing to offer them a second chance," Trump said at the time. "All of Las Vegas and all of Nevada and all of every place in the country is very proud of you."
According to the arrest report, Las Vegas police learned about the 2020 investigation, have identified the law office believed to be involved in that investigation, and they're working to retrieve all records and documents related to it.
Ponder is facing 20 charges related to sex crimes and is being held at the Clark County Detention Center. Channel 13 reached out to ask if Ponder would like to do a jailhouse interview. Las Vegas police said he is declining all requests.
Ponder is due back in court on Thursday morning.
As for what's next for Hope For Prisoners, Ponder's bio and the organization's board of directors have been removed from their website and events have been canceled for the time being.
NDOC officials told Channel 13 they will continue their partnership with the organization. That includes vocational training at Southern Desert Correctional Center.
"The NDOC prioritizes the safety and security of all offenders while also preparing them for safe reentry back into society," an NDOC statement reads in part.
We have reached out to Gov. Lombardo's office as well as the District Attorney's Office. We have not heard back from Lombardo.
The District Attorney's Office sent Channel 13 the following statement from Steve Wolfson:
“Based upon the fact that I previously served as a board member for Hope For Prisoners, and the fact that I have participated in many of that organization's graduations, I have removed myself from any decision-making role in the case of the State of Nevada V. Jon Ponder. My Assistant District Attorneys, Pam Weckerly and Alex Chen, will be making any decisions going forward.
Based on the foregoing, I believe I have a conflict of interest, which is the basis for my decision to remove myself from any decision-making. At the same time, the Clark County District Attorney's Office is not in the same position. There is no conflict with regard to the Clark County District Attorney's Office proceeding on this case.”