‘He Looked Right at Me’: Survivor Speaks Out as First FCI Dublin Officer Faces Trial for Sex Abuse
OAKLAND, CA – As the jury deliberates in the federal trial of former correctional officer Darrell Smith—accused of sexually abusing incarcerated women at the now-shuttered Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin—a survivor is speaking out, urging the public not to look away from what she says is only the beginning of a long overdue reckoning.
Aimee Chavira, a survivor of Smith’s abuse and the first woman to be released from federal prison under a compassionate release motion tied to staff sexual misconduct, attended much of Smith’s trial in person. For her, the proceedings were personal—and painful.
“I was content being there, seeing it unfold, but then I wasn’t,” she told the Davis Vanguard in an exclusive interview. “Because I could see his face. He was nonchalant, like he wasn’t worried. He even turned around to look at me.”
Chavira didn’t testify at the trial—federal prosecutors selected a smaller subset of victims whose cases were, as she put it, “pretty heinous.” But she remains an integral part of the story. Smith is the last of eight officials charged with sex crimes at FCI Dublin to go to trial or plead guilty. He pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces a possible life sentence, though the actual time served remains unclear.
For Chavira and other survivors, the question is not only whether justice will be done in this case, but whether the systemic conditions that allowed for the abuse will finally be addressed.
“This is just the beginning. There are still officers at Dublin committing crimes today. Smith is only the latest.”
Aimee Chavira
Federal prosecutors charged Smith in a 15-count indictment involving five victims. He is accused of rape, sexual abuse, and harassment—acts committed while he was employed as a federal correctional officer at FCI Dublin.
The trial, which began March 17 in federal court in Oakland, marks the first full trial stemming from the FCI Dublin scandal. Former Warden Ray Garcia and several other officials took plea deals. According to Chavira, Smith is the only one so far to face a jury.
What stood out most to her during testimony was the new evidence revealed by federal investigators—evidence she says showed a disturbing level of premeditation.
“I didn’t know until I sat in that courtroom that he had been Googling how to ‘penetrate a girl who’s asleep,’” she said. “We’re not talking about one or two searches—this was hundreds of pornographic searches with detailed content.”
One of the victims, Chavira noted, was assaulted while asleep.
“That really got to me,” she said. “This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. He planned this. He studied how to get away with it.”
Chavira herself was incarcerated at FCI Dublin from 2019 to 2022. During that time, she says Smith repeatedly threatened and abused her.
“He used to lock me in my room with a key,” she recounted. “He told me if I didn’t show him my breasts or my private parts, he’d send me to the SHU [Special Housing Unit]. He laughed while groping me. He made me get up while I was using the bathroom, made me stand there with my pants down so he could look.”
Chavira was eventually transferred to another facility, but the trauma lingered. She was originally sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. After the government rejected two motions for compassionate release, her attorney petitioned her sentencing judge directly—and won. In May 2023, she walked out of prison.
“He used to lock me in my room with a key. He told me if I didn’t show him my breasts or my private parts, he’d send me to the SHU.”
Aimee Chavira
“I didn’t get out because the system worked,” she said. “I got out because people on the outside fought for me. I couldn’t do 10 years under those conditions.”
Since her release, Chavira has become an advocate, working with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and others. She’s hopeful the Smith trial will lead to broader accountability.
“This is just the beginning,” she said. “There are still officers at Dublin committing crimes today. Smith is only the latest.”
Chavira’s story mirrors the experiences of many others formerly incarcerated at Dublin. Allegations of widespread sexual abuse, retaliation, and systemic cover-ups led to the prison’s closure in 2023. A federal judge appointed a special master after a class action lawsuit exposed what the judge called “systemwide issues within the Bureau of Prisons.”
Survivors have described officers masturbating while watching them shower, threatening to withhold mail or privileges in exchange for sex, and retaliating harshly against those who reported the abuse.
“I reported my assault to two prison psychologists,” another survivor, Darlene Baker, told the Vanguard in a previous interview. “One told me to keep quiet. The other said this place isn’t safe for reporting.”
When survivor Kendra Drysdale reported her assault to the DOJ via a supposedly confidential email address, BOP staff confronted her within hours. She was then punished with a disciplinary infraction, stripped of privileges, and over-incarcerated for several months—despite video footage that later confirmed her account.
“These aren’t isolated incidents,” said Susan Beaty, a senior attorney with the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice and co-counsel on the class action. “This is what happens when you build a system that polices itself. The BOP failed survivors at every level.”
Beaty said the problem is not just at Dublin.
“Unfortunately, what makes Dublin unique is not the abuse—it’s the fact that survivors spoke out and were heard,” she said. “If you looked closely at any women’s prison, you’d find similar abuse.”
The jury’s verdict in the Smith case is expected soon, and advocates are preparing for a press conference once it is announced. But for survivors like Chavira, the trial is just one step in a long journey.
“I’m hoping for justice,” she said. “I want a real conviction, not a slap on the wrist. But I also want the public to understand this isn’t just about one man. It’s about a system that allowed him to do this—and covered it up.”
She’s calling on elected officials, community members, and the media to keep paying attention.
“Don’t let this fade after the trial,” she said. “There are still officers who haven’t been charged. There are still survivors who haven’t been heard. And there are still women inside who are afraid to speak out.”
She added: “This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”
