Federal officials stated that a former case manager with the Mississippi Department of Corrections pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to kicking an inmate in the head.
According to authorities, the inmate, identified by federal officials as L.C., wasn’t resisting when the incident occurred on July 19, 2019.
The case manager, Nicole Moore, used excessive force against an inmate, involving a dangerous weapon and resulting in bodily injury.
U.S. District Court Judge Tom Lee set sentencing for July 10. Moore is facing up to 10 years behind bars, officials stated.
According to court documents, Moore willfully deprived inmate L.C. of the Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment when Moore, helped by others, kicked a non-resisting inmate.
“When corrections officials working inside jails and prisons violently assault inmates held in their custody, they will be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“Our citizens serving time for crimes against the public deserve the safety and protection from harm by those officials who are charged with their care,” said Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby for the FBI Jackson Field Office. “Ms. Moore’s blatant violation of this trust is a disservice to those in the penal system, the corrections officers who take pride in their profession, and citizens in general. The FBI is committed to protecting all citizens of our community.”
The FBI Jackson Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda Haynes for the Southern District of Mississippi and Trial Attorney Eric Peffley of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.