McDuffie Sentenced for In-Custody Assault at Hatfield Courthouse

PORTLAND, Ore. — Kelvin Valentino McDuffie, a 34-year-old from Supai, Arizona, was sentenced to eight months in federal prison and one year of supervised release for the heinous crime of assaulting an in-custody defendant at the Hatfield Federal Courthouse.

Court documents reveal that on July 26, 2019, McDuffie, a restrained inmate, used his fingers to touch a female victim’s inner thigh and buttocks through her clothing, with the intent to abuse, humiliate, and degrade her, while he himself sought sexual gratification.

The incident took place as McDuffie was being escorted by U.S. Marshals into a prisoner elevator at the courthouse, where male and female inmates are separated by a metal chain-link screen.

McDuffie was already in custody for violating his supervised release following a conviction for assaulting a federal officer in Arizona. On November 21, 2019, he was indicted on two counts of assault and abusive sexual contact, to which he pleaded guilty on April 21, 2020.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, reflecting their commitment to enforcing the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). PREA mandates standards to detect, prevent, reduce, and punish prison rape—a critical effort to address the pervasive issue of sexual violence in confinement facilities.

For more information on PREA, please visit here.