James Theodore Highhouse, 50, a former chaplain with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in California to seven years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing a female inmate, officials stated.
Highhouse then lied to federal agents about his misconduct, according to authorities.
Highhouse entered a guilty plea to five felonies on Feb. 23, 2022.
According to court documents, Highhouse was employed by the BOP as a corrections worker and chaplain starting in 2016.
He was assigned to work at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin, a federal prison that houses female inmates in Northern California.
As a Chaplin, he led religious services and offered spiritual guidance to incarcerated women, officials stated.
He also taught religious-based classes about boundaries and self-worth, understanding that many of the women with whom he interacted came from a background of trauma, abuse and substance addiction.
At times, Highhouse also performed a custodial role, that is, he could handcuff inmates, write up incident reports and refer inmates for disciplinary action.
In imposing the sentence, the judge considered the defendant’s systemic abuse of the victim as well as the accounts of other women whom the defendant subjected to sexual misconduct, authorities stated.
The judge noted the defendant’s “sustained predatory behavior against traumatized and defenseless women in prison.”
“Within our corrections system, chaplains are supposed to provide hope and spiritual guidance,” said Deputy Attorney General Monaco. “Instead, this chaplain abused his authority and betrayed the public trust.”
“The Civil Rights Division is thankful that each of these women were willing to come forward and tell federal authorities what happened to them, even after being treated so egregiously by someone who swore a constitutional oath to ensure they were free from sexual assault in custody,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. “As a chaplain, this defendant exploited an additional abuse of trust to facilitate his crimes.”
According to court documents, starting in November 2017, the victim listed in the charging document sought out Highhouse for spiritual guidance and emotional comfort.
Highhouse regularly met with her alone in his office.
Then from May 2018 until the victim reported him to federal authorities in February 2019, Highhouse sexually abused her, and his conduct escalated in frequency and severity over time.
As court documents set out, Highhouse used Biblical parables and the victim’s religious beliefs to manipulate her and coerce her into submitting to him.
Highhouse did so despite training on maintaining boundaries with inmates and attending yearly BOP refreshers about sexual abuse and prevention.
Highhouse committed sexual abuse in the chapel office.
According to evidence presented at the hearing, to keep the victim from reporting him and avoid detection, he would tell her that no one would believe her because she was an inmate and he was a chaplain.
Once the FBI and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG) opened a federal investigation into his allegations of sexual abuse, Highhouse lied to federal agents about his misconduct.
Specifically on Feb 21. 2019, during a voluntary interview with federal agents, he knowingly made false statements when he denied engaging in sexual acts and sexual contact with the victim.
Then, during a follow-up interview on Feb. 3, 2020, he again misled federal agents when he continued to deny engaging in such conduct.
The FBI San Francisco Field Office and the DOJ-OIG Los Angeles Field Office investigated this case.
Special Litigation Counsel and Senior Sex Crimes Counsel Fara Gold of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.