Marcus Bias, Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law, Washington 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A former corrections officer at the D.C. Department of Corrections has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for seriously injuring a handcuffed detainee who was not resisting, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke today.

Marcus Bias, 28, pleaded guilty on March 29, 2024, to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Bias to serve two years of supervised release.

“Like any other law enforcement officer, the defendant had a duty to protect the constitutional rights of anyone who was in his care and custody,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The defendant ignored that responsibility, when he assaulted and seriously injured an inmate who posed no threat. Such assaults are civil rights violations that will be prosecuted.”

Bias’s actions on June 12, 2019, while escorting detainee J.W. from the DOC’s dining hall to the medical unit, left J.W. with significant injuries. At the time, J.W. had his hands handcuffed behind his back and was suffering from the effects of O.C. spray. J.W. also was surrounded by five other officers and was not resisting.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Truscott for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Anna Gotfryd and former Trial Attorney Rebekah Bailey of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

“This defendant is being held accountable for violently ramming an inmate’s head into a metal doorframe while the victim was handcuffed behind his back and posed no threat,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Clarke. “The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute unlawful assaults on vulnerable populations and will stand up for the civil rights of the victims of these crimes.”

“Today, Marcus Bias was sentenced for violently injuring an inmate and violating their civil rights,” said David J. Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division. “The FBI is charged with investigating those who violate a person’s civil rights, and it’s a responsibility the FBI takes very seriously. I would like to thank our partners who worked side-by-side with the FBI on this investigation in order to hold Marcus Bias accountable for his criminal actions.”

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