Ex-prison warden guilty of sex abuse
55-year-old faces 15 years in jail, among five employees charged with assaulting inmates
The former warden of a federal women’s prison in California where inmates said they were subjected to rampant sexual abuse was convicted Thursday of molesting inmates and forcing them to pose naked in their cells.
Ray Garcia was found guilty of all eight charges and faces up to 15 years in prison. He was among five workers charged with abusing inmates at the federal correctional institution in Dublin, Calif., and the first to go to trial.
Garcia, 55, retired from his post last year after the FBI found nude photos of inmates on his government-issued phone. Garcia was charged with abusing three inmates between December 2019 and July 2021.
Jurors deliberated over parts of three days following a week of testimony, including from several of Garcia’s accusers and the former warden himself.
“Instead of ensuring the proper functioning of FCI Dublin, he used his authority to sexually prey upon multiple female inmates under his control,” U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds said, calling Garcia’s crimes a betrayal of the public trust and his obligations as a warden.
Prosecutors argued at trial that Garcia’s abusive conduct followed a pattern that started with compliments, flattery and promises of transfers to lower security prisons, and escalated to sexual assault.
Testifying on his own behalf, Garcia conceded he had made mistakes but claimed that some of his alleged wrongdoing — like taking pictures of naked inmates — was done as part of his official duties to document violations of prison policy. Prosecutors countered by calling a prison lieutenant who said he’s never seen a case where it was appropriate for an employee to take photos of a nude inmate.
An Associated Press investigation in February revealed a culture of abuse and cover-up that had persisted for years at the prison, about 21 miles east of Oakland. That reporting led to increased scrutiny from Congress and pledges from the Federal Bureau of Prisons that it would fix problems and change the culture at the prison.
The trial has called into question the Bureau of Prisons’ handling of sexual abuse complaints from inmates against staff and the vetting process for the people it chooses to run its prisons.
All sexual activity between a prison worker and an inmate is illegal. Correctional employees enjoy substantial power over inmates, controlling every aspect of their lives from mealtime to lights out, and there is no scenario in which an inmate can give consent.
Garcia was in charge of staff and inmate training on reporting abuse and complying with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act at the same time he was committing abuse, prosecutors say, and some inmates say they were sent to solitary confinement or other prisons for accusing employees of abuse.
Prosecutors say Garcia tried to keep his victims quiet with promises that he’d help them get early release. He allegedly told one victim he was “close friends” with the prison official responsible for investigating staff misconduct and couldn’t be fired. According to an indictment, he said he liked to cavort with inmates because, given their lack of power, they couldn’t “ruin him.”