California
Former prison guard charged with sexually assaulting 13 at women’s prison
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A former correctional officer at the biggest women’s prison in California has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting at least 13 inmates over the past nine years, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Gregory Rodriguez, who worked at the Central California Women’s Facility, faces 96 counts including rape, sodomy, sexual battery and rape under color of authority, the Madera County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
It couldn’t be determined Wednesday if Rodriguez, 54, has an attorney who can speak on his behalf. He was being held in lieu of $7.8 million bail, the DA’s office said.
The alleged assaults date back to 2014, but most happened within the past two years, prosecutors said.
The charges involve 13 separate victims, according to the DA’s office. If convicted on all charges, Rodriguez could be sentenced to more than 300 years in prison.
The women’s prison where Rodriquez worked for 12 years is located in Chowchilla, a small city about 120 miles (190 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco. Rodriguez retired in August after being approached about the assaults as part of an internal investigation, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in December.
The investigation, which found that Rodriguez may have engaged in sexual misconduct against at least 22 inmates, was handed over to the district attorney’s office earlier this year.
“These allegations are in no way a reflection on the vast majority of correctional officers who act professionally and do their best to make sure prisoners serve their time while remaining safe,” the DA’s office said Wednesday. “It is our hope that the removal and arrest of this defendant encourages them to continue in their honorable profession upholding the law every day.”
Two unidentified inmates filed lawsuits in December accusing Rodriguez of sexual assault at the prison, which holds about 2,100 inmates.
A 2003 federal law known as the Prison Rape Elimination Act created a “zero-tolerance” policy for the sexual assault of inmates. But California prison officials have still been accused of sexual misconduct in recent years. That includes Israel Trevino, a former correctional officer at the Central California Women’s Facility, who was fired in 2018 after being accused of groping and making sexually harassing comments to inmates.
An Associated Press investigation found that a high-ranking federal Bureau of Prisons official, who formerly worked at a women’s prison in the San Francisco Bay Area, was repeatedly promoted after allegations that he assaulted inmates. Another investigation found a pattern of sexual abuse by correctional officers at the women’s facility.
These types of accusations extend beyond California. Former prison officers in Kentucky and New Jersey have recently been charged with sexually abusing or assaulting inmates.
Mississippi
3 ex-officers indicted in death of Black man
JACKSON, Mississippi. (AP) — A Mississippi grand jury has indicted two former police officers on murder charges and another ex-officer on a manslaughter charge in the death of a Black man seen on video being pinned down and repeatedly shocked with stun guns during a New Year’s eve arrest.
Officials in the state capital of Jackson released body camera footage Wednesday that showed then-officers Avery Willis, Kenya McCarty and James Land struggling to handcuff Keith Murriel as he was apparently stunned numerous times over 10 minutes.
The officers had tackled Murriel while arresting him for allegedly trespassing at a hotel shortly before midnight on Dec. 31, 2022, authorities said.
McCarty and Willis have been charged with second-degree murder, and Land with manslaughter, court records showed. All three were placed on administrative leave after the incident. McCarty was fired in February, and Willis and Land in April.
McCarty and Willis are Black, and Land is white, according to Melissa Faith Payne, a city spokesperson. Payne said she did not know whether any of the officers had attorneys as of Wednesday who could comment for them.
The video shows McCarty kneeling with her knee on Murriel’s back before Murriel flips around, and the three officers attempt to lock his hands behind his back. The 41-year-old man is seen pleading with officers to stop shocking him with stun guns.
After handcuffing Murriel, officers then laid the man horizontally on the back seat of a patrol vehicle, the video showed. He died after being taken into custody.
Willis’ body camera footage showed him talking to another officer after the encounter.
“I hope (he) is asleep. Because if he’s asleep, it’ll be a good ride,” Willis said, using a racial slur to refer to Murriel. “It was funny seeing (his) feet in the air.”
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said at Wednesday’s news conference that the city was now releasing body camera footage because a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation probe of the death had been completed. The officers — all ex-members of the Jackson Police Department, or JPD — were indicted on May 12.
“We believe we have seen actions that are excessive, disheartening and tragic,” Lumumba said. “And we believe that is not representative of the vision of public safety that not only this administration wants to put forward, but we believe the men and women of JPD want to put forward.”
The city released the footage less than one week after former Jackson Chief James Davis announced his retirement. After Murriel’s death, Davis initially said the man had a “medical emergency.” Lumumba said Davis’ departure was not related to the incident.
Acting Police Chief Joseph Wade pledged transparency in speaking with reporters at Wednesday’s appearance.
“I would ask the citizens of Jackson to continue to support the dedicated, hard-working men and women of the Jackson Police Department who put their lives on the line every single day,” he said. “We will continue to have accountability measures in place, not only from the bottom up but from the top down as we move forward.”
New York
NYC officer seen on video punching man indicted on assault charge
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City police officer has been indicted on a misdemeanor assault charge after being seen on bystander video in 2021 repeatedly punching a man who appeared to be having a psychiatric crisis, leaving him unconscious with a broken nose, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Officer Juan Perez is charged with third-degree assault in connection with the confrontation, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said.
“Police officers are often put in challenging situations, but they must use their training appropriately and treat the residents of New York City with respect,” Bragg said in a statement.
Perez pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday. His lawyer, James Kilduff, said by phone that Perez denies the assault allegation.
The NYPD said Wednesday evening that Perez is suspended without pay. The city police union referred questions to Kilduff.
Court documents released Wednesday identified the man who was punched by Perez as Borim Husenaj.
Perez and his partner responded to a report of a man acting erratically in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood on Nov. 10, 2021, according to court documents and witness statements. Perez took an alcohol bottle from Husenaj and began talking with him, authorities said.
In a rambling and disjointed narrative, Husenaj said he believed he was being subjected to “terrorist actions” because of his belief in God, evidence that he was having a psychiatric crisis, investigators said in court documents.
When Husenaj disobeyed orders to remain seated, Perez pushed Husenaj against a wall in an effort to handcuff him, but a struggle ensued when both fell to the ground, officials said. Perez’s partner helped subdue Husenaj, authorities said.
“Perez then proceeded to rapidly punch the victim six times in the face, who was lying on the ground defenseless,” Bragg’s statement said. “He was brought to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken nose and significant swelling.”
A bystander recorded the incident with a cellphone.
City records show Perez, an officer since 2006, has had nine complaints against him, including allegations involving physical force, but none were substantiated. Records also show he was disciplined for a 2014 off-duty threatening incident.
New York
Steve Bannon’s trial in ‘We Build the Wall’ scheme set for May 2024
NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Bannon, the conservative strategist and longtime ally of Donald Trump, will stand trial next May on charges that he duped donors who gave money to build a wall along the U.S. southern border, a judge said Thursday.
Bannon’s trial in the “We Build the Wall” case will start May 27, 2024, right after the former president is scheduled to stand trial in the same Manhattan courtroom in an unrelated criminal case.
Bannon, 69, pleaded not guilty last September following his indictment on state money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg took up the case after Bannon’s federal prosecution was cut short by a Trump pardon. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes, not state offenses.
Bannon is accused of falsely promising donors that all money given to the We Build the Wall campaign would go toward building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Instead, prosecutors allege that the money was used to enrich Bannon and others involved in the project.
Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato pleaded guilty to federal charges and were sentenced to prison. A third defendant, Timothy Shea, was convicted in October and is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
Judge Juan Manuel Merchan is presiding over both the Bannon and Trump cases. Bannon is free pending trial. Thursday’s hearing lasted all of four minutes.
“We’ll see you back in here in May,” Bannon said as he left the courthouse in a black SUV.
