A former private prisoner transport officer in New Mexico pleaded guilty on Monday to sexually assaulting three female pretrial detainees, authorities said.
Marquet Johnson, 44, raped two of the women and forced another to perform oral sex during prisoner transports in 2019, said a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, followed by up to five years of supervised release. He also must pay the victims damages.
“Nobody, no matter the crime of which they are being accused, deserves to be raped,” said U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico in a press release. “When jailers fail their duty to those in their charge, they will join them in custody.”
Johnson’s first victim was a female pretrial detainee being transported from a jail in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Colorado in November of 2019. While the van was stopped for gas and Johnson’s transport partner had walked away, the perpetrator removed the victim’s ankle restraints, rested a weapon on his lap, and ordered her to partially remove her clothing and lie down, according to the Justice Department.
The victim told Johnson she was uncomfortable multiple times, and Johnson told her to cooperate, “otherwise, it was going to get ugly.” He admitted that he held the weapon against her cheek while raping her, said the department’s press release.
Laura Schauer Ives, an attorney representing the victim, said her client is grateful that Johnson will be incapacitated and unable to rape others while he is in jail.
“There’s nothing within the justice system that makes up for what he did to her,” said Schauer Ives.
In July 2019, Johnson forced a non-consenting female pretrial detainee to perform oral sex on him, prosecutors said. The victim was being transported from Spencer, Indiana, to San Marcos, Texas. Johnson admitted to assaulting her while the van had stopped at the ISC headquarters in West Memphis, Arkansas.
Johnson’s third victim was a woman being transported from Baker County, Oregon, to Warrensburg, Missouri, in August of 2019. The perpetrator admitted to raping the detainee while the transport van had stopped at a hotel, and later forcing her to perform oral sex on him.
“This egregious conduct violates federal civil rights law, and the Justice Department will continue to resolutely seek justice for the survivors of these heinous crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
At the time of the assaults, Johnson worked for Inmate Services Corporation (ISC). The Arkansas-based private prisoner transport service settled a $625,000 class action lawsuit in September, which alleged the company subjected inmates to “cruel and unusual” conditions during prison transport.
The company did not admit to any wrongdoing. ISC could not be reached for comment Monday.
In November of last year, Rogeric Hankins, 37, pled guilty to sexually assaulting a female detainee while he was working for ISC, said a press release from the Department of Justice.
The District Attorney of New Mexico is prosecuting Johnson’s case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas and Western District of Missouri.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
