A former inmate has filed a federal civil rights complaint against officials of the Blair County Prison and its medical provider, contending that he was seriously injured in an attack by other inmates.

After the attack, the inmate, Vasilios Pentsas Jr., 37, maintains he did not receive proper medical care.

Pentsas, who is incarcerated in the State Correctional Institution at Fayette, stated in his complaint that at the time of the attack he was a pretrial detainee.

He had been arrested for the murder of 29-year-old Andrew Ozio of Altoona, an incident that occurred after an ongoing dispute over a $440 marijuana deal.

Ozio’s body was found Nov. 9, 2020, in an alley in the 100 block of East Crawford Avenue.

He had been shot in the neck, chest and head.

Following his arrest, Pentsas indicated that he had been threatened by friends of Ozio who were in prison and he contended that prison officials had been informed about the threats.

Despite those warnings, Pentsas stated in his federal complaint that a prison official moved him from a cell in B-Block to a cell in D-Block, where a family member of his victim was housed.

Within 15 minutes of his transfer, “a group of inmates flooded into Cell D-11,” and, he stated, he was “assaulted and battered.”

As a result of the beating, Pentsas said he suffered a severe concussion, damage to his teeth and an eye that was swollen shut for a week.

Pentsas stated in his complaint that his medical treatment following the attack was insufficient.

The civil lawsuit charges officials, including the warden and a sergeant, with failure to protect as well as violations of his rights under the Fifth and Eighth Amendments to the Constitution.

PrimeCare Medical Inc. of Harrisburg, which provides medical services to Blair County inmates, is also named as a defendant.

He is seeking $1 million in compensatory damages and $2 million in punitive damages.

Pentsas last July pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, terroristic threats, firearms not to be carried without a license, possession of a firearm prohibited, tampering with evidence and the purchase of a controlled substance.

Blair County Judge Wade A. Kargarise accepted the plea agreement and sentenced him to a prison term of 12 to 30 years.

The Pentsas lawsuit has been assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith A. Pesto in Johnstown.