Former Jessup Correctional Officer gets eight years in federal prison for forcing himself sexually on prisoners
On December 14, former Correctional Officer Owen Nesmith, 54, of Baltimore, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, for three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, and, for making a false statement. The charges against Nesmith were related to his unwanted sexual contact with three victims – prisoners who were incarcerated at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup, Maryland, and who were under his control.
Background: Nesmith was employed as a Correctional Officer (“CO”) Lieutenant at Maryland Correctional Institution Jessup (“MCIJ”). He confessed that from 2005 to 2017, he deprived three incarcerated prisoners of their civil rights by sexually assaulting them.
- Specifically, in February 2005, Nesmith followed Victim 1 back to his cell. No other inmates were present in the housing unit at that time. Nesmith told Victim 1 that he wanted Victim 1 to perform a sex act on Nesmith, which he did. Victim 1 did not consent to this act, which was a deprivation of rights under color of law.
- As detailed in Nesmith’s plea agreement, in July 2015, Victim 2 needed an identification badge (“ID”) and Nesmith offered to take Victim 2 to the ID office. On the way to the office, Nesmith grabbed Victim 2’s genital area, then shut a gate in the area and told Victim 2 that he needed to conduct a strip search. After removing Victim 2’s pants, Nesmith sexually assaulted Victim 2, causing him pain and bodily injury.
- In December 2017, Nesmith admitted that he engaged in a sex act with Victim 3, without his consent, when Victim 3 came to Nesmith’s office to discuss obtaining a job in sanitation. At that time, Nesmith was the acting lieutenant of the building and Victim 3 needed Nesmith’s approval to obtain that job.
Finally, Nesmith admitted that when questioned by law enforcement, he falsely stated that he had never had any inappropriate relationships or sexual contact with any inmates while he was at MCIJ.
Nesmith was among six correctional officers who were indicted in 2019 in a scheme involving bribes to smuggle contraband such as drugs and cellphones in the prison, according to WTOP News. The other five correctional officers have already pleaded guilty to their roles in a racketeering conspiracy, according to CBS News in Baltimore.
The FBI and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services worked on the investigation into Nesmith’s criminal activities.
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(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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