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Last Updated: 7/13/2020
A former corrections officer who was charged with sexually abusing two inmates and attempting to abuse a third at the Victorville Federal Correction Complex has been sentenced to two years in prison.
In October, 41-year-old Apolonio Gamez pleaded guilty to two felony counts of sexual abuse of a ward and one felony count of attempted sexual abuse of a ward.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California says that Gamez participated in sexual activity with an inmate twice while he was on duty at the Federal Correctional Complex during fall 2016. Gamez began working at that facility the same year and had been employed by several other California prisons since 2012.
Authorities say that in May 2016, Gamez caught another inmate stealing food and ordered her to engage in sexual activity with him, threatening to send her to solitary confinement if she refused.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Gamez exposed himself to a third inmate and attempted to sexually abuse her in the summer of 2017.
Along with his prison sentence, Gamez must be under supervision for seven years after his release, pay a $5,000 special assessment, and register as a sex offender.
Attorney contributor, Jason Amala, sex crimes lawyer, has offered to share some commentary for survivors of sexual assault by correctional officers and other jail and prison staff members:
“Inmates may lose some of their rights as citizens while imprisoned but they still have the right to be safe from sexual violence. It’s sad to say, but correctional facilities are often the site of sexual assaults, especially with the perpetrator being a trusted figure such as a prison guard, officer, or employee. The victims of these crimes often have grounds for a lawsuit against the facility where the assaults occurred,” stated Mr. Amala.
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