CRIME
Another Former Guard Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Inmates In Federal Women’s Prison
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A fourth former corrections officer has been sentenced for sexually abusing incarcerated women at the federal prison in Dublin, Calif., the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Andrew Jones, 36, pleaded guilty in August and was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison.
Jones, who supervised prisoners who worked in the low-security prison’s food services department, admitted that between July 2020 and June 2021, while he had supervisory and disciplinary authority over the female prisoners, he sexually abused three inmates who worked for him in the FCI Dublin kitchen.
In a sentencing memo, prosecutors argued that Jones “enforced silence and obedience” from the prisoners by using “violence and threats of violence.” Prosecutors said that “intimidation and insults on the one hand, and the flattery on the other, was aimed at cultivating pliant prisoners who Jones could abuse for his own sexual pleasure.”
“Jones participated in a culture of sexual abuse of female inmates at FCI Dublin that included the Warden, the Chaplain, and other employees, and he like them has now been held to account for his heinous acts,” said Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz. “The DOJ Office of the Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate this type of egregious criminal conduct, and we will do everything within our authority to pursue justice for victims of sexual abuse.”
Eight people have been charged so far, and U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey said the investigation is ongoing.
“So far, seven correctional officers have been convicted of felony conduct involving sexual abuse of female inmates and an eighth employee has been charged with similar conduct. To be clear, this investigation is not over – correctional officers at FCI Dublin are trusted to secure the safety of inmates at the institution; the Department of Justice will continue to hold accountable any correctional officer who violates that solemn responsibility, Ramsey said.
Nakie Nunley, another guard at the Dublin facility, is facing up to 17 years in federal prison for abusing five women from March 2020 to November 2021. Former guard Enrique Chavez pleaded guilty last October to having sexual contact with an inmate in 2020 and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Former guard John Bellhouse was convicted in June of sexually abusing inmates from 2018 to 2021, but sentencing information has not yet been released. Former guard Ross Klinger pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual abuse, and is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 13.
Former warden Ray Garcia was convicted in December and sentenced to nearly six years in prison for sexually abusing three inmates. Former prison chaplain James Highhouse pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to seven years in prison for sexually abusing an inmate from May 2018 to February 2019.
TMX contributed to this article.
