The Justice Division charged two former correctional officers this week with allegedly sexually abusing inmates housed at a now-shuttered Bay Space jail dubbed the “rape membership.”
Jeffrey Wilson and Lawrence Gacad grew to become the ninth and tenth people — starting from guards to a chaplain to the warden — charged by federal prosecutors for alleged offenses on the Federal Correctional Establishment in Dublin.
The allegations towards Wilson and Gacad relate to incidents that prosecutors say occurred in 2022.
It’s unclear whether or not both man has an lawyer. Court docket dates for the pair had been additionally not instantly accessible.
Wilson, 34, was charged with 5 counts of sexual abuse of an inmate, prosecutors mentioned. The alleged abuse happened between March 14 and Aug. 16, 2022, in a medical room, based on courtroom paperwork.
He was additionally charged with mendacity to federal brokers when questioned if he ever had sexual contact with the feminine inmate or equipped her with contraband, based on courtroom paperwork.
Gacad, 33, is charged with one rely of abusive sexual contact of a distinct inmate between March 2022 and June 2022.
If convicted as charged, Wilson may withstand 15 years in jail and a high quality of $250,000 for every rely of sexual abuse of a ward; and as much as eight years and a $250,000 high quality for the rely of false statements to a authorities company.
Gacad faces a most sentence of two years in jail and a $250,000 high quality.
The most recent expenses solely add to the years-long scandal surrounding the Dublin facility, the place prosecutors allege sexual abuse was so rampant that it grew to become referred to as the “rape membership” by prisoners and employees.
Paperwork uncovered by the Related Press alleged some jail officers raped and sexually abused their subordinates — with one employee claiming he needed to impregnate his wards. The jail’s former warden, Ray J. Garcia, was convicted in 2022 of sexually abusing ladies behind bars — together with forcing inmates to strip nude whereas he took and stored images on his government-issued cellphone.
Inmates mentioned they suffered excessive anxiousness, post-traumatic stress and lived in worry throughout their time on the jail.
The federal authorities agreed to pay $116 million in December to greater than 100 ladies who claimed they had been sexually abused by FCI Dublin workers.
That very same month, the Bureau of Prisons agreed to a consent decree after being sued by eight inmates who alleged they had been subjected to widespread sexual abuse, medical neglect and retaliation by jail guards.
The consent decree requires shut monitoring of employees abuse and retaliation, medical care, the appliance of early launch credit and the well timed launch of inmates to midway homes. It applies to almost 500 class members who stay incarcerated in additional than a dozen federal prisons.
Together with Garcia, 5 correctional officers and former jail chaplain James Highhouse have both pleaded responsible or been convicted of abuse expenses.
They had been all sentenced to between 20 months and eight years in jail with one exception: former correction officer Ross Klinger, who served one 12 months of dwelling confinement.
One other former correctional officer, Darrell Wayne Smith was initially indicted in 2023 on 12 counts of sexual abuse. That was bumped as much as 15 counts by a federal grand jury in 2024. He’s awaiting trial Sept. 5.
The investigation into FCI Dublin is ongoing, based on the Justice Division.
