MIAMI, FL – The supposed guardians are often the wolves. Benito Montes de Oca Cruz, 60, of Miami-Dade County, has admitted to a sickening betrayal of trust, pleading guilty to abusive sexual contact with a woman serving a federal sentence on home confinement. Cruz wasn’t some street thug; he was a site supervisor tasked with *monitoring* her compliance. The details, laid bare in court, paint a picture of predatory abuse of power.
Cruz, employed by Riverside House, a contractor for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, conducted routine home visits to federal inmates serving sentences on home confinement. Riverside House is responsible for the custodial oversight of these individuals, a responsibility Cruz utterly failed to uphold. Instead, he used his position to victimize a vulnerable woman, exploiting the inherent power imbalance for his own perverse gratification.
According to admissions made during the change of plea, on December 28, 2020, Cruz visited the victim’s residence under the guise of a supervision check. That’s when he engaged in a horrifying act of sexual contact, including explicit touching while both were naked. This wasn’t a fleeting moment; it was a calculated and predatory act that has left a lasting scar on the victim.
Law enforcement didn’t rely on just the victim’s testimony. The investigation, spearheaded by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General (DOJ-OIG), uncovered damning evidence. The illicit activity was captured on video, and crucially, DNA evidence left at the scene conclusively linked Cruz to the abuse. This wasn’t a case of he-said-she-said; it was a clear-cut case of criminal behavior.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe and Special Agent in Charge James Boyersmith of DOJ-OIG announced the guilty plea. Cruz is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola on April 14, 2023, where he faces a potential maximum sentence of two years in prison – a paltry sum for the damage he’s inflicted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting the case.
This case is a stark reminder that abuse can happen anywhere, even within the supposed safeguards of the federal corrections system. Court documents related to case number 22-cr-20459 can be found at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov. Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the sentencing.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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