The Justice Department charged two former correctional guards this week with allegedly sexually abusing detainees at the now-closed Bay Area jail known as the “rape club.”
Jeffrey Wilson and Lawrence Gacad became the ninth and tenth people charged by federal prosecutors with alleged crimes at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, alongside guards, a chaplain, and the warden.
The claims against Wilson and Gacad are based on occurrences that authorities allege occurred in 2022.
It’s unknown if either man has an attorney. Court dates for the couple were not immediately available.
Prosecutors accused Wilson, 34, with five counts of sexual abuse against a prisoner. Court filings state that the alleged assault occurred between March 14 and August 16, 2022, in a medical room.
He was also charged with lying to federal officials when asked if he had sexual contact with the female inmate or provided her with contraband, according to court filings.
Gacad, 33, is charged with one count of abusive sexual contact with another inmate between March and June 2022.
If convicted as charged, Wilson could face up to 15 years in jail and a $250,000 fine for each count of sexual abuse of a ward, as well as up to eight years and a $250,000 punishment for false statements to a government agency.
Gacad is facing a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The latest allegations only add to the years-long controversy surrounding the Dublin facility, where prosecutors claim sexual abuse was so widespread that prisoners and workers dubbed it the “rape club”.
Documents obtained by the Associated Press say that several prison guards raped and sexually assaulted their subordinates, with one worker claiming he intended to conceive his ward. Ray J. Garcia, the prison’s previous warden, was convicted in 2022 of sexually abusing women behind bars, including forcing convicts to strip naked while he snapped and stored images on his government-issued cellphone.
During their stay in jail, inmates reported experiencing significant levels of anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and terror.
In December, the federal government agreed to pay $116 million to more than 100 women who claimed FCI Dublin employees sexually abused them.
That same month, the Bureau of Prisons agreed to a consent decree after being sued by eight inmates who claimed they had been subjected to pervasive sexual assault, medical negligence, and retaliation by prison personnel.
The consent agreement mandates strict monitoring of staff abuse and retaliation, medical treatment, the utilisation of early release credits, and the prompt release of offenders to halfway houses. It applies to approximately 500 class members who are still detained in more than a dozen federal institutions.
Along with Garcia, five correctional officers and former prison chaplain James Highhouse have pleaded guilty or been convicted of assault charges.
They were all sentenced to 20 months to eight years in prison, with the exception of former correction officer Ross Klinger, who served a year on home confinement.
