DUBLIN, Calif. — A former disciplinary hearing officer at the now-closed Federal Correctional Institution Dublin pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually abusing two incarcerated women and making false statements to federal investigators, becoming the 10th correctional officer to plead guilty or be convicted in a federal investigation into sexual abuse at the prison.
David Perez entered his guilty plea Oct. 28, admitting to sexually abusing women over whom he exercised disciplinary authority, including one whom he told he had the power to increase or decrease the amount of time she would spend incarcerated.
According to an Oct. 28 announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, Perez worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons from September 1994 until August 2019.
From October 2014 through August 2019, he served as a disciplinary hearing officer at FCI Dublin, a low- and minimum-security federal prison for women.
In that position, Perez was responsible for adjudicating disciplinary proceedings involving incarcerated women accused of misconduct and imposing sanctions when he found them guilty.
Those sanctions could include placement in the Special Housing Unit, a form of restrictive housing, and the loss of good-time credits that could affect the length of incarceration.
According to his plea agreement, Perez presided over four disciplinary hearings involving one incarcerated woman between 2014 and 2015.
He found her guilty in each proceeding and imposed sanctions that sometimes included placement in the Special Housing Unit and loss of good-time credits.
Between August 2015 and September 2016, Perez repeatedly arranged private meetings with the woman in a room in the prison’s Captain’s Complex.
During several of those meetings, Perez kissed the woman and touched her breasts over and under her clothing, according to federal prosecutors.
Perez also admitted to sexually abusing a second incarcerated woman whose disciplinary proceedings he had overseen.
In July 2016, Perez presided over a disciplinary hearing involving the second woman, found her guilty and sentenced her to more than two weeks in the Special Housing Unit, along with other sanctions.
After her release from restrictive housing, Perez began summoning her to meet with him alone in the Captain’s Complex.
During those meetings, Perez complimented her appearance, asked her to expose her breasts and told her on one occasion that he had the authority to add or subtract time from her sentence.
Prosecutors said Perez kissed the woman and grabbed her breasts and buttocks during two encounters.
On another occasion, he digitally penetrated her vulva, according to the Justice Department.
The admitted conduct occurred while Perez held disciplinary authority over the women, including the ability to impose sanctions affecting their conditions of confinement and good-time credits.
Federal law prohibits sexual acts between correctional employees and people under their custodial or supervisory authority, regardless of purported consent.
Perez also admitted to making false statements to federal investigators who were examining sexual abuse allegations at FCI Dublin.
On Oct. 8, 2024, he spoke with special agents from the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General and the FBI.
During that interview, Perez falsely claimed that his only physical contact with incarcerated women occurred when escorting them to and from disciplinary hearings.
Federal prosecutors charged Perez by information on Sept. 16, 2026, with three counts of abusive sexual contact, one count of sexual abuse of a ward and one count of making false statements to a federal agency.
His guilty plea is the latest development in a yearslong investigation into sexual abuse by employees at FCI Dublin.
According to the Justice Department, 11 correctional employees, including Perez, have been charged with crimes related to the sexual abuse of incarcerated women at the facility.
Ten have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial.
Among those convicted was former FCI Dublin Warden Ray J. Garcia, who was found guilty by a federal jury in December 2022 and sentenced to 70 months in prison.
Former correctional officer John Bellhouse was convicted in June 2023 and sentenced to 63 months in prison.
Former prison chaplain James Highhouse pleaded guilty in February 2022 and received an 84-month prison sentence.
Other former employees have received sentences ranging from home confinement to several years in federal prison.
Charges against former correctional officer Darrell Smith were dismissed in December 2025 following two trials that ended with hung juries.
The investigations and prosecutions exposed extensive sexual misconduct involving employees who held authority over incarcerated women at the facility.
FCI Dublin closed in April 2024 amid allegations of widespread sexual abuse, federal criminal prosecutions and judicial scrutiny of prison conditions.
The closure resulted in the transfer of incarcerated women to other federal facilities, but investigations and criminal proceedings involving former employees have continued.
Perez was released on bond following his guilty plea.
He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for sexual abuse of a ward under 18 U.S.C. § 2243(b).
He also faces a maximum of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of abusive sexual contact under 18 U.S.C. § 2244(a)(4), along with a maximum of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine for making false statements to a federal agency under 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2).
The maximum statutory penalties do not necessarily reflect the sentence Perez will receive. The court will determine his punishment after considering federal sentencing guidelines and other applicable statutory factors.
Perez is scheduled to be sentenced March 25, 2027, before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
The prosecutions are being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California following investigations conducted by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General and the FBI.
Perez’s guilty plea adds to the federal convictions arising from the sexual abuse investigation at FCI Dublin, where multiple employees admitted to or were found guilty of abusing incarcerated women while exercising authority over their confinement.
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