Former Dublin correctional officer faces additional charges of sexually abusing female inmates
OAKLAND -- A former Dublin correctional officer on Thursday was charged with sexually abusing two additional female inmates in a superseding indictment, according to the Department of Justice.
A press release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice said a grand jury handed down the new superseding indictment charging former FCI Dublin correctional officer John Russell Bellhouse with the sexual abuse of two additional female inmates.
The grand jury originally charged 39-year-old former Pleasanton resident Bellhouse in February of this year in an indictment that alleged Bellhouse committed sexual abuse against a female prison ward identified only as "Victim 1."
Bellhouse had been employed as a correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institute Dublin (FCI Dublin), an all-female correctional institution in Alameda County that houses federal prisoners. The sexual abuse is alleged to have occurred between February and October 2020. The new superseding indictment expanded the charges against Bellhouse to a total of three sexual assault charges involving Victim 1.
Two of the charges allege Bellhouse sexually abused Victim 1 and a third alleges Bellhouse engaged in abusive sexual contact with Victim 1. Those three incidents all happened before October 2020, with two occurring as early as February 2020 and the third as early as December 2019. All three incidents are alleged to have occurred within FCI Dublin Prison Safety facilities.
Bellhouse also faces three additional charges he sexually abused two other female victims identified as "Victim 2" and "Victim 3" in the superseding indictment. Like the first victim, both are described as inmates serving their prison sentences at FCI Dublin at the time of the sexual abuse and were also under the custodial supervision of Bellhouse.
The superseding indictment charges Bellhouse with two counts of abusive sexual contact against Victim 2 and one count of abusive sexual contact against Victim 3. All of the charged acts involving Victim 2 and Victim 3 are alleged to have occurred in the FCI Dublin Camp Safety Office.
"Individuals incarcerated in federal prison should never experience sexual abuse, and particularly not at the hands of correctional officers charged with maintaining safety and order within the institution's walls," said United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds said in the release. "The security of inmates is a vital priority within our prison system. This office will continue to pursue allegations of correctional officers abusing inmates and will seek accountability for those who engage in such conduct."
"The defendant had a fundamental responsibility to care for the welfare of inmates in his custody and maintain the good order of FCI Dublin," added FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. "The additional charges allege the defendant did neither, but instead abused his powers and took advantage of the women for whose care he was responsible. Investigation of violations of the public trust, regardless of the status of the victims, will remain among the highest priorities of the FBI."
The Associated Press reported last year that more than 100 Bureau of Prisons workers have been arrested, convicted or sentenced for crimes since 2019, as the agency turned a blind eye to misconduct allegations.
The former warden at FCI Dublin, Ray Garcia, was arrested in September of last year and later indicted on charges he molested an inmate multiple times, scheduled times where he demanded she undress in front of him and amassed a slew of nude photos of her on his government-issued phone.
Bellhouse is scheduled for a court appearance in Oakland on October 13 before United States District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. A jury trial is currently set to begin on June 5, 2023. For each charge, Bellhouse faces a maximum statutory sentence of 15 years imprisonment, a minimum five year term of supervision following release from prison, and a $250,000 fine.