A Passaic County correctional officer is facing up to 20 years in prison after admitting to conspiring to obstruct justice in connection with an investigation into the assault of a pretrial detainee at the Passaic County Jail.
Officer Lorenzo Bowden, 39, pleaded guilty on Monday to an information charging him with conspiracy to obstruct justice in U.S. District Court in Newark.
According to documents filed in the case, 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 video surveillance cameras, where they assaulted the detainee, knocking him to the ground and striking him multiple times.
Bowden admitted that he did not intervene to stop the assault, and later lied about the incident to federal investigators. He 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.
“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 Philip R. 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.”
The charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Bowden’s sentencing is scheduled for September 5, 2024. The investigation was led by the FBI and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Division of Internal Affairs.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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