Former Maryland Correctional Institution officer pleads guilty to sexual assaults
BALTIMORE -- A former correctional officer has pleaded guilty to federal charges of depriving three people of their civil rights by sexually assaulting them while they were incarcerated at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office.
Owen Nesmith, 54, of Baltimore, Maryland, admitted to sexually assaulting the individuals between 2005 to 2017, state authorities said.
Nesmith is the last of 20 defendants charged with federal racketeering and related charges to plead guilty, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office.
Five other correctional officers have already pleaded guilty to their roles in a racketeering conspiracy, state authorities said.
The sexual assaults occurred under different circumstances. In one case, in February 2005, Nesmith followed a male victim back to his cell when no other inmates were around, state authorities said.
Nesmith had the victim perform a sexual act even though that person did not consent to the interaction. That was "a deprivation of rights under color of law," according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office.
The second victim had their rights violated on the way to the correctional institution's ID office to get an identification badge in July 2015. That's when Nesmith grabbed his genital area, shut a nearby gate, and informed them that he needed to conduct a strip search, state authorities said.
After removing the second victim's pants, Nesmith sexually assaulted that person, causing him pain and bodily injury, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office.
The third victim had approached Nesmith in December 2017 about a job in sanitation when he was acting lieutenant of the building, state authorities said.
Nesmith initially denied having inappropriate relationships or sexual contact with any of the inmates when he worked at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup. He later admitted to making a false statement about the sexual contact, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office.
Nesmith faces a maximum of 17 years in prison "for deprivation of rights under color of law and for making false statements," state authorities said.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has not set a sentencing date, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office.