The female inmates in the state of Oregon have been reportedly assaulted by a former Oregon nurse who worked at the state’s only women’s prison.
Tony Klein, 37, has been charged with 21 counts of depriving the victims of their constitutional right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment by sexually assaulting them at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Oregon said Monday.
Klein worked as a nurse at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility from 2016 to 2017 and during that time, officials allege that he victimized at least a dozen women.
According to the press release, “Klein committed various forms of sexual assault, some of which included aggravated sexual abuse and some resulting in bodily injury.”
In all, at least 27 women have accused Klein of sexual assault and sexual misconduct at the prison, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported last month.
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Klein has also been charged with four counts of perjury for allegedly giving false testimony during a 2019 deposition, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. That deposition was related to a federal civil lawsuit in which Klein was also accused of sexual misconduct while serving as a corrections nurse. That year, Oregon’s Statesman Journal reported that sexual abuse at the prison was common and allegedly ignored by prison staff. The lawsuit alleged that an inmate who reported such abuse was punished. Ten women sued Klein and the state of Oregon. A $1.7 million settlement ended the lawsuit in 2020 and neither the state nor Klein admitted wrongdoing, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports.
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If convicted, Klein faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Portland Field Office with assistance from the Oregon State Police and Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Rykken and Hannah Horsley of the District of Oregon, and Special Litigation Counsel Fara Gold and Trial Attorney Cameron A. Bell of the Criminal Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Sources: Breaking 911, Justice, OXYGEN, KTVZ, Yahoo News