The Justice Department charged two former correctional officers this week with allegedly sexually abusing inmates housed at a now-shuttered Bay Area prison dubbed the “rape club.”
Jeffrey Wilson and Lawrence Gacad became the ninth and 10th individuals — ranging from guards to a chaplain to the warden — charged by federal prosecutors for alleged offenses at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin.
The allegations against Wilson and Gacad relate to incidents that prosecutors say occurred in 2022.
It is unclear whether either man has an attorney. Court dates for the pair were also not immediately available.
Wilson, 34, was charged with five counts of sexual abuse of an inmate, prosecutors said. The alleged abuse took place between March 14 and Aug. 16, 2022, in a medical room, according to court documents.
He was also charged with lying to federal agents when questioned if he ever had sexual contact with the female inmate or supplied her with contraband, according to court documents.
Gacad, 33, is charged with one count of abusive sexual contact of a different inmate between March 2022 and June 2022.
If convicted as charged, Wilson could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count of sexual abuse of a ward; and up to eight years and a $250,000 fine for the count of false statements to a government agency.
Gacad faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The latest charges only add to the years-long scandal surrounding the Dublin facility, where prosecutors allege sexual abuse was so rampant that it became known as the “rape club” by prisoners and workers.
Documents uncovered by the Associated Press alleged some prison officers raped and sexually abused their subordinates — with one worker claiming he wanted to impregnate his wards. The prison’s former warden, Ray J. Garcia, was convicted in 2022 of sexually abusing women behind bars — including forcing inmates to strip nude while he took and kept photos on his government-issued cellphone.
Inmates said they suffered high anxiety, post-traumatic stress and lived in fear during their time at the prison.
The federal government agreed to pay $116 million in December to more than 100 women who claimed they were sexually abused by FCI Dublin employees.
That same month, the Bureau of Prisons agreed to a consent decree after being sued by eight inmates who alleged they were subjected to widespread sexual abuse, medical neglect and retaliation by prison guards.
The consent decree requires close monitoring of staff abuse and retaliation, medical care, the application of early release credits and the timely release of inmates to halfway houses. It applies to nearly 500 class members who remain incarcerated in more than a dozen federal prisons.
Along with Garcia, five correctional officers and former prison chaplain James Highhouse have either pleaded guilty or been convicted of abuse charges.
They were all sentenced to between 20 months and eight years in prison with one exception: former correction officer Ross Klinger, who served one year of home confinement.
Another former correctional officer, Darrell Wayne Smith was originally indicted in 2023 on 12 counts of sexual abuse. That was bumped up to 15 counts by a federal grand jury in 2024. He’s awaiting trial Sept. 5.
The investigation into FCI Dublin is ongoing, according to the Justice Department.
