By The Vanguard Staff
DUBLIN, CA – A Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) correctional officer was sentenced last week for sexually abusing multiple female incarcerated and making false statements at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Dublin, CA – the court gave him eight years in prison.
The U.S. Dept. of Justice said Andrew Jones, 36, pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual abuse of a ward involving three inmates and one count of false statements. He’ll also receive 10 years of probation after his prison time.
The DOJ confirmed Jones is one of eight correctional officers charged with federal crimes involving sexual misconduct at FCI Dublin in the last three years and is the fourth sentenced—and they claim all of the sentences so far to the guards are “above the U.S Sentencing Guidelines.”
“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 of the Justice Department Office of Inspector General (DOJ-OIG).
“This ongoing investigation has unearthed evidence regarding the criminal activities of numerous employees at the Federal Correctional Institution at Dublin,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey for the Northern District of California
Ramsey added 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,” noting the investigation is still on going.
“The egregious sexual abuse that took place at FCI Dublin was disgraceful and tragic, and the Justice Department will not rest until we have eliminated such misconduct from the Federal Bureau of Prisons,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco.
“The defendant’s conduct, sexually abusing inmates and threatening violence to keep them silent, is sick and reprehensible,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “Today’s sentencing comes amid relentless efforts to prevent abuse and misconduct by corrections personnel entrusted with the care and protection of others.”
The DOJ said Jones was a federal office that supervised prisoners who worked in the Food Services Department, and “admitted that, between July 2020 and June 2021, while he had supervisory and disciplinary authority over all the female prisoners, he received oral sex from, and/or had sexual intercourse with, three female prisoners (and) sexually abused these prisoners in multiple places near the FCI Dublin kitchen, including a staff bathroom, a warehouse, and a room where kitchen utensils were kept.”
The DOJ said Jones “enforced silence and obedience” from the prisoners by using “violence and threats of violence,” using “intimidation and insults on the one hand, and the flattery on the other…aimed at cultivating pliant prisoners who Jones could abuse for his own sexual pleasure, while he remained safe in the belief that his misconduct would go unreported.”
