You wouldn’t think to call a woman on parole and attending drug and alcohol rehab courageous, but in this true crime, she was exactly that. And she wasn’t the only woman to come forward. It was her bravery that gave the other’s the strength to do the same.
Her parole officer sexually assaulted, sexually abused, and exploited the paroled woman under his control. During the criminal behavior, he was on duty, in uniform, wearing a badge, and armed.
The brave parolee secretly recorded the acts and took the evidence to her parole officer’s immediate supervisor. He told her the parole officer was his friend and refused to do anything about the abuse. He ordered her to delete the recorded material. She feared retaliation and did as she was told.
Because other women came forward, the FBI became aware of the allegations and contacted the parolee. The FBI investigation uncovered prolonged periods of intimidation and coercion against her. With the parole supervisor’s aggressive behavior toward covering up the crimes, the FBI had undercover agents for her protection at the parolee’s place of employment.
After the FBI collected enough evidence against the parole officer and his supervisor, they arrested both.
Rather than go to trial, the 44-year-old parole officer pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of a female parolee by sexually assaulting her while he served as her parole officer. A judge sentenced him to 15-years in prison, followed by 5-years of supervised release and he’s required to register as a sex offender.
An FBI Special Agent associated with the parole officer’s case said,
“[The officer] was in a position of power and authority. He used that authority to take advantage of and prey on a vulnerable woman.”
The 51-year-old parole officer’s supervisor also chose not to go to trial. He pleaded guilty to witness tampering. A judge sentenced him to over 7 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
An FBI Special Agent associated with the supervisor’s case said,
“[The supervisor] crossed the line and abused his position of public trust by asking a witness to lie and delete evidence in a criminal investigation.”
Source: U.S. District Court, U.S. Department of Justice
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