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Defendant Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice
Newark, NJ – Lorenzo Bowden, a 39-year-old corrections officer at the Passaic County Jail, pleaded guilty to conspiring to obstruct justice in connection with an investigation into an assault on a pretrial detainee, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
On January 22, 2021, a pretrial detainee at the Passaic County Jail squirted a mixture containing urine onto a correctional officer. The following day, Bowden, along with Sergeants Jose Gonzalez and Donald Vinales, transported the detainee through an area of the jail that does not have a video surveillance camera. Gonzalez and Vinales then assaulted the detainee, knocking him to the ground and striking him multiple times, despite the fact that he was handcuffed.
Bowden admitted that he did not intervene to stop the assault and later falsely stated that the detainee had not been assaulted and that there had not been any meeting or communication among those who participated in or witnessed the assault. The charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
“Lorenzo Bowden, a correctional officer, admitted today that he helped transport a detainee to an area where there were no video cameras and stood by while other officers repeatedly hit and assaulted the handcuffed detainee who posed no threat,” said U.S. Attorney Sellinger.
“The vast majority of law enforcement officers understand the trust placed in them by our community when they wear the badge. But when law enforcement officers abuse the trust the community places in them – when they violate the constitutional rights of the people of New Jersey, including prisoners, they will be held accountable,” he added.
The investigation was conducted by special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Division of Internal Affairs, under the direction of Acting Sheriff Gary F. Giardina.
Bowden’s sentencing is scheduled for September 5, 2024. The charges and allegations against Sergeants Gonzalez and Vinales, which are still pending, are merely accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Division of Internal Affairs, under the direction of Acting Sheriff Gary F. Giardina, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin of the Criminal Division and the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Civil Rights Task Force, and R. Joseph Gribko, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Division.
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Public Corruption|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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