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5th worker charged with sex abuse at federal women's prison

Federal Prisons Sexual Abuse
Posted at 9:38 PM, Mar 23, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-23 21:38:26-04

A fifth worker at a federal women's prison in California has been charged with sexually abusing an inmate and prosecutors say more arrests are expected at the lockup.

Enrique Chavez is a food service foreman at the federal correctional institution in Dublin, California. He's accused of touching an inmate's breasts, buttocks and genitals in October 2020, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday in federal court.

Chavez was indicted on March 10, while a Bureau of Prisons task force was at Dublin speaking with inmates and staff about ways to eliminate a culture of abuse at the prison. He was arrested on Sunday in Arizona and had been on administrative leave for several months.

According to the Associated Press, prosecutors said in court papers that “The government is currently investigating additional suspects for related crimes.”

Chavez is 49-years-old and from Manteca, California. He is charged with two counts of abusive sexual contact, which comes with a maximum punishment of up to two years in prison.