By The Vanguard Staff
DUBLIN, CA – Yet another federal correctional officer Friday was sentenced to prison—this time 63 months—for “sexually abusive conduct” against two female victims serving sentences at all female, low security Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin.
More than a half dozen federal employees at the facility—including the warden, guards and chaplain—have been nabbed in the sex abuse against those incarcerated.
The sentence was delivered by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers against John Bellhouse, 40, formerly of Pleasanton, CA. Bellhouse was initially charged with sexual abuse of an inmate on Feb. 17, 2022, and charged with two counts of sexual abuse between December 2019 and December 2020. A jury convicted Bellhouse of all counts.
According to a Dept. of Justice statement, “Bellhouse sexually abused and committed abusive sexual contact against a victim incarcerated and serving a prison sentence at FCI Dublin under Bellhouse’s custodial, supervisory, and disciplinary authority.
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“Evidence presented at trial also demonstrated Bellhouse committed abusive sexual contact against a second victim between October and December of 2020. Trial evidence showed that the acts occurred in the Safety Office at the FCI Dublin Camp.”
The DOJ added Bellhouse “sexually abused another inmate in 2020 and 2021 when he reached through a window in her cell and grabbed her breast,” and other acts without her consent.”
The government argued “in addition to the three women who testified at trial about Bellhouse’s sexual abuse of them, Bellhouse also abused other women,” using “his ability to access everyday items such as Starbucks coffee, yarn, jewelry, and cleaning supplies, to get his victims both to acquiesce in the abuse and to keep them quiet about his conduct.”
“The horrendous sexual abuse committed by convicted offender John Bellhouse is cruel and despicable,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “As a federal corrections officer, Bellhouse sexually abused inmates under his care and attempted to cover-up his crimes. These violations are inexcusable breaches of the trust and authority granted to government officials.”
“John Bellhouse exploited his position of trust at the Federal Bureau of Prisons by sexually abusing multiple women in his custody – and today he has been held to account,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco.
Monaco added, “The sentence of imprisonment imposed today is the latest example of the Justice Department’s continuing work to address the egregious misconduct that took place at FCI Dublin and prioritize the eradication of sexual assault from our prison system.”
“While today’s sentencing cannot undo the horrific abuse that Bellhouse’s victims endured, it sends a clear message that FBOP employees who abuse inmates in their custody and care will be brought to justice. Our investigation of sexual abuse at FCI Dublin remains ongoing, and we will continue to aggressively pursue justice for victims of sexual abuse at the hands of FBOP employees,” said Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz.
“This conduct was a disturbing deviation from the expectations and requirements of all federal correctional officers,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. “Bellhouse violated his oath and abused the power given to him, all to victimize the people he was supposed to protect. This sentence makes clear that the sexual abuse of inmates by guards will not be tolerated.” 
