Ray Garcia: Ex-warden of California women's prison who ran 'rape club' faces upto 15 years in prison
WARNING: This article contains content about sexual abuse that some readers may find distressing. Discretion is advised.
DUBLIN, CALIFONIA: The former warden of a federal women's prison in California where Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman served time in connection with the college admissions scam has been found guilty of operating a "rape club". Ray Garcia now faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison after being convicted of eight crimes. He reportedly forced some female prisoners to pose naked in their cells and then sexually assaulted them.
Garcia was the first to go to trial out of five employees who were accused of assaulting detainees at the federal prison in Dublin, California. Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, two actresses who were involved in the varsity blues affair, both served jail time in Dublin. However, their involvement is unrelated to Garcia's alleged misdeeds.
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Garcia, 55, left his position in 2021 after the FBI discovered nude images of inmates on his government-issued phone. He attempted to argue that the images were taken accidentally during his trial. Three prisoners were allegedly abused by Garcia between December 2019 and July 2021, reported Daily Mail. During their trial, the prosecution said that Garcia's abusive behavior had a pattern that began with seduction, praises, and offers of transfers to prisons with lower security levels and progressed to sexual assault.
The prison, located about 21 miles (34 kilometers) east of Oakland, was the subject of a culture of abuse and coverup, as per the investigation done by the Associated Press in February. As a result of that revelation, Congress began to scrutinize the prison system more closely and the Federal Bureau of Prisons promised to address issues and alter the prison's culture.
The trial has raised concerns about the Bureau of Prisons' handling of employee sexual assault charges made by inmates as well as its selection procedure for prison administrators. It's against the law for prison staff to engage in any sexual activity with prisoners.
There is no situation in which an inmate can offer consent, and prison officers have complete control over every aspect of their existence, from lunch to bedtime.
Prosecutors claim Garcia abused prisoners while also overseeing staff and inmate training on reporting abuse and complying with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act. Some prisoners claimed that they were moved to solitary confinement or other institutions for reporting staff abuse.
Garcia allegedly attempted to intimidate his victims by promising to secure their early release. He reportedly told one victim he couldn't be dismissed because he was "close friends" with the jail official in charge of looking into staff misconduct. He claimed that he enjoyed having fun with prisoners because they couldn't "ruin him," according to an indictment.
Garcia is also charged with ordering prisoners to undress for him while he did his rounds and lying to federal authorities when they questioned him about his history of asking prisoners to strip for him or touching female prisoners improperly.
"We see inmates dressing and stuff ... and if they're undressing, I've already looked," Garcia stated to the FBI in July 2021, as per court records. "I don't, like, schedule a time like, You be undressed, and I'll be there," he added, as cited by Daily Mail.
Before his retirement, Garcia was put on administrative leave. His arrest took place in September 2021.