Feds Arrest Halfway House Employee for Allegedly Assaulting Inmate
Federal investigators say that Tristan Cox, a halfway house employee in Atlanta, sexually abused an inmate in his custody.
In April 2024, Cox allegedly assaulted an inmate resident who was under his care and custody, according to the Justice Department press release. Cox was working as a contract residence monitor in Atlanta for the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
Allegedly Assaulted Victim in Supply Room
Cox allegedly assaulted the victim in a supply room during an overnight shift, and the DNA evidence tested by the FBI confirmed the inmate was assaulted, say prosecutors. Specifically, investigators found DNA from Cox’s saliva on the victim’s boxer shorts, according to the criminal complaint.
Any sexual contact between a BOP employee and a BOP inmate is a criminal offense prohibited under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, the idea being that inmates do not have the power to consent to sex. In this case, the victim told investigators he was afraid of being sent back to prison if he resisted Cox’s advances.
What to Do if You Know More
The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General is still investigating this case. If you have additional pertinent information about Tristan Cox or this case, contact police or the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia at http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Comments by Officials
Run by the BOP, halfway houses provide ways for people who have had problems with addiction and run-ins with the law to reintegrate into society. The Justice Department iterated its commitment to keeping these facilities safe in its public statement.
“The Department of Justice takes seriously its commitment to keep inmates and detainees safe from harm within its correctional and detention facilities,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.
“This commitment to humane treatment extends to contract facilities like halfway houses and to contract employees like Cox,” Buchanan said. “He is charged with grievous conduct that undermined the Department’s efforts and injured someone in our custody.”
Similar Cases
This is only the latest case of power abuse by BOP employees against inmates in their custody.
In the infamous Rape Club case, covered by The Daily Muck, Darrell Wayne “Dirty Dick” Smith, a 55-year-old man who was serving as a correctional officer at the Dublin Federal Correctional Institute, allegedly committed 15 acts of sexual abuse involving five female inmates over several years.
Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch said that Smith’s alleged offenses “are some of the most disturbing charges we’ve seen for a former federal corrections officer.”
Smith was a member of the so-called “Dublin 8” group.
Former warden of DCI Dublin FCI Ray Garcia was sentenced in March 2023 to 70 months in prison following his convictions for sexually abusive conduct against three female victims who were serving prison sentences and for making false statements to government agents.
The Daily Muck also has an ongoing investigation against Carswell Federal Medical Center, where in May 2022, Lt. Luis Curiel pled guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of an inmate. In his plea agreement, Curiel admitted to sexually abusing at least three inmates of the women’s BOP medical facility. Although the maximum sentence would have been 30 years, Curiel was sentenced in September 2022 to only 18 months of incarceration and two years of supervised release.
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