Officer supervised quarantining incarcerated women infected with and/or exposed to COVID-19
A federal court in the Central District of California has heard the case against a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) corrections officer charged with sexual assault of a woman in custody.
Jose Viera, the 49-year-old officer, worked at a federal prison that holds male and female pre-trial detainees and persons serving custodial sentences. He was assigned to supervise quarantined incarcerated women due to COVID-19 exposure and infection.
According to court records, Viera entered the woman’s cell in December 2020. She was in COVID-19 isolation, and he brought her breakfast, as he had done in the past. He admitted that he laid down next to the woman in her bed, sandwiching her between his body and the wall. Then, he proceeded to sexually assault her, causing pain and putting her in fear of physical harm.
The court noted that the woman did not consent, and his conduct violated her constitutional rights. When authorities questioned Viera about the allegations, he lied about the events.
On Tuesday, Viera pleaded guilty to one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law for sexually assaulting a woman in custody.
“The defendant betrayed his oath to uphold the Constitution and targeted a vulnerable woman in custody,” Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a media release.
“[We are] committed to ensuring that those who...
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