Fox News Flash top headlines for Feb. 6
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Two Massachusetts prison officers were arrested Thursday for their involvement in allegedly beating a handcuffed inmate and destroying video evidence of the assault.
Officials said Seth M. Bourget, 39, of Woodstock, Conn., and Joseph M. Lavorato, 51, of Wilmington, Mass., were indicted for an incident that took place over the summer at the U.S. Bureau Prisons Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Devens, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.
According to the indictment, the alleged assault took place in June 2019 when Bourget dropped his knee on an inmate’s head while he was handcuffed and restrained in the mental health housing unit. Bourget also allegedly hit him with a protective shield, causing bodily injury.
Bourget, a senior correctional officer at FMC Devens, was indicted on two counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law, the DOJ said. Lavorato, a lieutenant, was also indicted on obstruction of an official proceeding and destruction and falsification of records in a federal investigation.
Lavorato is accused of obstructing the investigation by “purposely failing to timely and accurately report the nature and extent of [the] inmate’s injuries and intentionally concealing the existence of a video recording of the incident in an official report.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office claimed Lavorato destroyed a video recording of the assault and filed a false report that blamed a malfunctioning security camera for the missing footage.
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U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling said the DOJ is committed to rooting out corruption within the ranks of America's correctional officers and claimed these criminal actions are a slap in the face to those who serve the prison system with honor and duty.
“These corrections officers abused their authority and the public’s trust by allegedly injuring a vulnerable inmate and then attempting to cover it up,” he said. “This conduct is an affront to the law enforcement officers who serve honorably every day and fulfill their duties with fairness and integrity. Today’s charges reflect the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting official misconduct.”
The charge of willful deprivation of civil rights under color of law carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, two years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of obstruction of an official proceeding and the destruction and falsification of a record in a federal investigation carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) Boston branch tweeted about the case on Thursday.
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“Great power and responsibility are sewn into a Bureau of Prisons uniform. But that uniform and the oath taken by those who wear it is not a license to use excessive force on a vulnerable prisoner, or to allegedly cover up a subordinate’s reprehensible behavior by attempting to destroy evidence of that abuse,” Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta said.
“Civil rights are everyone’s rights, and we will continue to investigate anyone who violates their professional responsibility to keep others safe and secure," he added.
Both men were set to appear in Boston federal court on Thursday afternoon.
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