Officials stated that a federal grand jury indicted a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) lieutenant and a BOP registered nurse yesterday for allegedly violating the civil rights of an inmate.The two allegedly showed deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs, resulting in his death.
The indictment alleges that on Jan. 9, 2021, Lieutenant Shronda Covington, 47, of Chesterfield, Virginia, and Registered Nurse Tonya Farley, 52, of Chesterfield, Virginia, were on duty and working in their official capacities at the Federal Correctional Institution at Petersburg, Virginia.
On that day, they allegedly each willfully failed to ensure that the inmate, a 47-year-old man identified as W.W., was provided with necessary medical care, resulting in W.W.’s death, even though each knew that W.W. had serious medical needs.
Farley is also charged with writing a false report about the incident.
Covington and Farley are each charged with making false statements to federal agents about the incident.
The civil rights charges each carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, the false report charge carries a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison and each false statement charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
DOJ OIG investigated the case.
Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert and Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.