Former prison warden Ray J. Garcia was sentenced Wednesday to 70 months in prison following his convictions for sexually abusive conduct against three female victims who were serving prison sentences and for making false statements to government agents.
The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, U.S. District Judge, who presided over the trial that resulted in the convictions.
Garcia, 55, of Merced, Calif., was convicted of the charges in December of 2022. The evidence at trial demonstrated Garcia was employed as an associate warden and later as the warden of the Federal Correctional Institute in Dublin, Calif. (FCI Dublin), an all-female low security federal correctional institution.
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All three of Garcia’s victims were incarcerated and serving their prison sentences at FCI Dublin under Garcia’s custodial, supervisory, and disciplinary authority when the crimes occurred.
“The defendant in this case abused his authority as a warden and violated his oath to protect those in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “The sentence he received today is another step forward in our ongoing efforts to root out sexual misconduct within the BOP. This prosecution should serve as both warning and reassurance that the Department of Justice will not waver in holding accountable BOP employees and executives who abuse their authority — whether they be a guard, chaplain or warden — and in pursuing justice for their victims.”
“The evidence in this case paints a disturbing picture of a former warden who abused the trust placed in him, as well as authority granted to him, all while thinking he could get away with his crimes by lying to investigators and intimidating his victims,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that prison walls present no impediment to justice. The Department of Justice will hold accountable any prison official who violates their duty to protect those in federal custody.”
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“Corrections officials are sworn to protect people and preserve civil rights – the extreme opposite of this defendant’s heinous actions,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “Garcia assaulted and harmed those in his care and custody, attempted to intimidate them into silence, and then lied in an effort to cover up his crimes. The FBI is grateful to the brave women who came forward to report these vile offenses, and we hope today’s sentence is one more step towards justice and healing.”
The trial evidence established that Garcia abused inmates from December 2019 until July 2021. Garcia’s sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact against Victim 1 began in December 2019 and extended through March 2020, the abuse of Victim 2 occurred January to July 2021, and the abuse of Victim 3 occurred during the period of March to September 2020. The jury convicted Garcia of three counts sexual abuse and one count of sexually abusive contact as to Victim 1, two counts of abusive sexual contact as to Victim 2, and one count of abusive sexual contact as to Victim 3.
The government’s sentencing memorandum described how Garcia sought to deter his victims from coming forward.
Garcia told his victims he was friends with the person in charge of investigating the sexual abuse of inmates, boasted that he could “never be fired,” and warned them that he worked for “Washington, D.C.” Garcia also instructed a victim to “get rid of any evidence” and reported falsely to another victim that a different inmate was sent back to FCI Dublin after pictures of a correctional officer were found on her phone.
According to the government’s memorandum, Garcia created and perpetuated a culture of abuse. The government also pointed out that four other correctional officers at FCI Dublin have been charged with sexually abusing inmates while Garcia was associate warden or warden.
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The trial evidence also demonstrated Garcia made false statements to federal investigators. On July 22, 2021, Garcia was interviewed and told investigators he never asked inmates to be undressed for him and that he had never touched an inmate inappropriately. Trial evidence showed that Garcia had already asked multiple inmates to undress for him and had also touched Victim 1, Victim 2, and Victim 3 sexually.
Garcia was initially charged with sexual abuse of an inmate on Sept. 24, 2021. A federal grand jury issued a superseding indictment on Aug. 23, 2022, charging Garcia with three counts of sexual abuse and four counts of abusive sexual contact against three female inmates.
The indictment also charged Garcia with one count of making false statements to a government agency during the investigation of the criminal acts. On Dec. 8, 2022, a jury convicted Garcia of all counts.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Gonzalez Rogers ordered Garcia to pay $15,000 and to serve 15 years’ supervised release which begin after the prison term. Judge Gonzalez Rogers ordered Garcia to report to surrender on or before May 19, 2023, to begin serving his prison term.
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