Guard kicked out of federal women’s prison, plagued by sexual abuse

The warden of a federal women’s prison in Northern California, long plagued by widespread sexual abuse, was removed from his position after the prison was raided by FBI agents.

The federal government said in a court filing Monday that it had removed the acting warden, Arthur Dulgov, as well as the deputy warden and two other top leaders at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons said it had installed new leaders to renovate the prison in Dublin, California, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of San Francisco.

The scandal has resulted in an avalanche of lawsuits and allegations that sexual abuse has continued despite previous leadership shakeups. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement that the firings and appointment of new leaders were intended to “create positive cultural change” at the minimum-security prison. Nancy T. McKinney, a longtime Bureau of Prisons official, was appointed interim director.

The changes came hours after FBI agents raided the prison, taking documents and computers and attempting to interview prison officials, according to The Associated Press. Mr Dulgov had been acting warden of Dublin prison for less than three months.

The reasons for the raid are not specified. Lawyers representing inmates at the facility alleged in a lawsuit last month that Mr. Dulgov and his staff retaliated against an inmate who testified against prison officials by arranging her transfer to another facility, a move that violated a court order.

The inmate’s transfer “sent a message to others held at the jail, which could prevent them from filing complaints or testifying in further proceedings in this case,” attorneys for the inmates wrote.

The prison, which has been dubbed the “rape club” by inmates and correctional officers according to previous documents, has drawn attention oversight from federal lawmakers. The Senate Judiciary Committee has been investigating the Bureau of Prisons in general, and the situation in Dublin in particular.

The Senate investigation followed a research of the prison by The Associated Press in 2022, which relied on internal documents, interviews and recordings made by inmates and found “a permissive and toxic culture at the Bay Area lockup that has fueled years of sexual misconduct by predatory employees and cover-ups which largely kept the abuse out of the public eye.”

Since the report, the problems and crimes at the prison have attracted widespread attention, resulting in criminal charges and convictions. Among those now in prison for abusing prisoners is Ray Garcia, a former warden who was sentenced last year to 70 months in prison for sexual abuse.

“Instead of ensuring that female inmates in Dublin Prison were safe, Garcia used his position as a guard to sexually abuse three inmates over several years, intimidate inmates and lie to cover up his crimes,” says Michael E .Horowitz, Department of Justice. Inspector General of Justice, said in a statement after sentencing.

Last week, a coalition of civil rights organizations filed new lawsuits on behalf of a dozen inmates at Dublin prison.

The new allegations add to others that have been made for years. One accuser, a Native American woman identified by her initials, FS, said she was raped by a correctional officer one to three times a week, and was sometimes held down by two other officers while she was attacked.

“These officers made hateful comments, including that Indians are ‘worth nothing but drink alcohol and go to jail,’” according to a complaint.

Other claimants were harassed because of their immigration status, according to the complaints. One undocumented woman was told she would be deported if she did not engage in sexual acts with a correctional officer, according to the complaints. Others were forced to perform sexual acts in front of officers and have sex with other inmates, according to the new complaints.

“This horrific abuse continues to happen here in the Bay Area, even during and after officers are convicted,” Emily Shapiro, a member of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, which has filed lawsuits on behalf of inmates, said in a statement. .

Jack Beg research contributed.