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Former Lieutenant at Brooklyn Federal Jail Gets 25 Years for Sexually Abusing Inmates: DOJ

Prosecutors say Eugenio Perez will also have to register as a sex offender after he was convicted of abusing inmates under his supervision.

A former lieutenant at Brooklyn’s federal jail was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday after he was convicted of sexually abusing multiple female inmates, according to The Justice Department. Eugenio Perez will also have to register as a sex offender after being charged with multiple counts of deprivation of civil rights, aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a ward, and others. Between 2013 and 2016, Perez engaged in sexual acts with five female inmates under his supervision by luring them into isolated locations and forcing them to perform oral sex and other acts through “physical force and intimidation,” prosecutors say. He also allegedly used his authority to make sure none of the inmates reported his actions. According to The New York Times, prosecutors said Perez targeted victims who were in vulnerable situations, either subject to disciplinary measures or waiting for immigration proceedings. “He knew who to pick,” prosecutor Nadia Shihata said during Perez’s trial in May. “Who’s going to believe them?”