Birmingham, Ala. – Former Federal Bureau of Prisons Corrections Officer Robert D. Smith, 39, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for sexually abusing an inmate in his custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Aliceville, Alabama.
Smith pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a ward on January 11 and was sentenced by a federal court in Alabama. The Justice Department’s Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Smith’s actions have no place in the Federal Bureau of Prisons and that he has been held accountable for abusing his position of trust.
“Robert Smith’s egregious acts have no place in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and he has been held to account for abusing of his position of trust,” Monaco said. “Today’s sentence marks the latest effort in the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to root out sexual misconduct within the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Department will continue our efforts to hold accountable employees who fail to uphold their oath to protect those in their care.”
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division also weighed in on the case, saying that Smith’s actions were a clear abuse of his position of power and that the Justice Department has zero tolerance for such behavior.
“Beyond the view of the cameras and the eyes of potential witnesses, this defendant sexually abused and assaulted vulnerable women inmates and thought he would get away with his crimes,” Clarke said. “This case should send an unequivocal message to officials working in correctional settings that we have zero tolerance for sexual assaults of women held inside jails and prisons.”
U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama also spoke out about the case, saying that corrections officers have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of those incarcerated in our nation’s prisons.
“Corrections officers have the responsibility to ensure the safety and security of those incarcerated in our nation’s prisons,” Escalona said. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute corrections officers who abuse inmates and violate positions of public trust.”
Smith was a corrections officer at FCI-Aliceville, a low-security federal prison in Alabama, and was responsible for ensuring the safety and security of inmates housed at the facility. However, instead of upholding his oath of office, Smith used his position of power to sexually abuse at least two female inmates.
According to court documents and evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, Smith committed the crimes in 2018 and 2019, when he would take the inmates to areas of the prison without camera coverage and engage in sexual acts with them.
Smith’s sentencing marks the latest effort in the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to root out sexual misconduct within the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Department will continue to work with law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute corrections officers who abuse inmates and violate positions of public trust.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Royster for the Northern District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Anna Gotfryd of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
The FBI investigated the case, which was referred to the Department of Justice by the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Office of the Inspector General.
Smith’s sentencing is a reminder that corrections officers have a responsibility to uphold their oath of office and protect those in their care. The Justice Department will continue to work tirelessly to root out misconduct within the Federal Bureau of Prisons and hold accountable those who fail to uphold their duties.
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Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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