A former jail supervisor has been sentenced to prison for her role in covering up systematic detainee abuse at the Lexington-Fayette County Detention Center in Kentucky.
On May 14, 2009, Kristine Lafoe, a former lieutenant and supervisor at the Lexington-Fayette County Detention Center, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to obstruct justice. Lafoe admitted that she instructed officers under her command to falsify reports describing uses of force, so that physical abuse of detainees would sound innocuous and justifiable.
Lafoe supervised the midnight intake shift at the Lexington-Fayette County Detention Center and was responsible for reviewing and submitting false reports to her supervisors. She knew that the reports would conceal and cover up detainee abuse and obstruct any federal investigations of the abuse.
Lafoe’s actions allowed officers under her command to continue abusing detainees with impunity. ‘Law enforcement officers who abuse their power undermine public safety and the public trust, and they make the work of law enforcement all the more difficult,’ said Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez.
The defendant’s conviction resulted from the investigative work of the FBI’s Louisville Division and the Civil Rights Division. The case was prosecuted by division attorneys Jared Fishman and Benjamin Hawk.
Lafoe was sentenced in Lexington, Kentucky, by Federal Judge Karen K. Caldwell, to serve one year in prison and two years of supervised release. Lafoe’s crimes took place between January and October 2006, and her sentencing date was not specified in the press release.
The case is a stark reminder of the importance of holding law enforcement officials accountable for their actions. As Perez noted, ‘we will vigorously prosecute officers who engage in acts of criminal misconduct.’
Related Federal Cases
- Mark Radcliffe, Witness Tampering and Aiding Obstruction of Justice, West Virginia 2015 · Kentucky
- Michael L. Howell, Conspiracy and Obstruction, Kentucky 2024 · Kentucky
- Vickie Louise Viniard, Bank Fraud, Kentucky 2016 · Indiana
- Elianna D. Gill, Receiving a Bribe as a Public Official, Kentucky 2017 · Pennsylvania
- Kyle Willett, Felony Theft from Interstate Shipment, Kentucky 2016 · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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