LOUISIANA
The Justice Department announced that defendant Christopher Loring, a former officer at the Richwood Correctional Center, plead guilty in federal court Wednesday for his role in a conspiracy to cover up the beatings of five inmates by officers.
Loring, 27, of Winsboro, Louisiana, plead guilty to conspiring with other officers to falsify documents with intent to obstruct and influence the investigation of a matter within federal jurisdiction.
U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty scheduled sentencing for Loring on July 3.
of the Western District of Louisiana, who accepted the plea.
“The blatant abuse of power and the obstruction of civil rights will not be tolerated by the Department,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to protect the victims of these abuses and prosecute those who violate their civil rights.”
“Abuse of prisoners is illegal and tarnishes the reputation of those correctional officers who work hard every day to perform their duties with distinction and professionalism,” U.S. Attorney David Joseph of Louisiana stated. “To maintain the fairness and integrity of the American justice system, my office will hold accountable any who violate the civil rights of those under their custody.”
According to his guilty plea, Loring worked as a correctional officer at the Richwood Correctional Center in Richwood, Louisiana, where on Oct. 30, 2016, he and other officers abused inmates.
They then conspired to cover it up.
According to the evidence, Mr. Loring, he and other officers sprayed a chemical agent directly in the faces and eyes of five inmates while the inmates were handcuffed, compliant, kneeling on the floor, and not posing a physical threat to anyone.
Following that abuse, Mr. Loring and the other officers conspired to hide their conduct by submitting false reports.
Roderick Douglas, a former supervisor at the Richwood Correctional Center, plead guilty in federal court on Jan. 31 for his role in the conspiracy to violate the civil rights of five inmates.
Sentencing for Douglas is scheduled for June 5, 2019.
The count of conviction carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a criminal fine of up to $250,000.