Charles Manson on Line One.
The murderous cult leader was one of thousands of California inmates busted with a cell phone last year, which he used to call unidentified people in California, New Jersey, Florida and British Columbia, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"It's troubling that he had a cellphone since he's a person who got other people to murder on his behalf," said Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections. She added that it is not known if the one-time cult leader, now 76, used the phone to order up any crimes.
Cell phones are banned form federal prisons, but the rules are murkier in state institutions, especially California, where overcrowding makes it impractical to punish phone possessors with more time.
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Guards found 1,400 cell phones in prison in 2007, according to the Times. The number jumped to 6,995 in 2009 and is now at 8,675 this year. Prisoners simply get a reprimand and have the phone confiscated.
Golden State lawmaker Alex Padilla said stiffer penalties are needed, because inmates can use the phones to carry out their criminal activities.
"The fact that Charles Manson had a cellphone in prison is just further proof that the situation is out of control," a frustrated Padilla said last week. "I'm not giving up. Until we have a law on the books with real consequences, this will continue to be a danger."
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While prison officials would not say who Manson contacted, "Inside Edition" broadcast recordings of a voice identified as Manson's, on March 23, 2009.
One featured him singing, "I've seen the world spinning on fire, I've danced and sang in the devil's choir."
Manson will likely die in prison for ordering the ritualistic murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others in 1969.
Selected Reading: Los Angeles Times, IMDb, Fox News.
