Infamous East Bay Women’s Prison Hit With 12 Additional Sexual Assault Lawsuits

Content Warning: This story contains descriptions of alleged sexual assaults.

A federal East Bay women’s prison where multiple staff have been charged with sexual abuse is now facing 12 additional lawsuits over misconduct at the facility.

The deluge of claims filed Thursday brings the total number of lawsuits facing the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin to 63. It arrives on top of a major class-action lawsuit against ongoing abuse and retaliation at the prison and demands for changes at the facility, which is still under review by a federal judge.

“Some of these women have just faced horrific abuse and are seeking some sort of accountability,” Amaris Montes, an attorney with Rights Behind Bars, told KQED. “Their goal is not necessarily just damages, but to continue to speak about this issue and keep other people safe who are still in Dublin.”

Eight correctional officers are facing charges of sex crimes at FCI Dublin since 2022, and six of them have been convicted and sentenced, including the former warden and chaplain at the prison.

Since then, new officials have come in promising to turn around the scandal-ridden prison. During recent court hearings, several FCI Dublin officers and government officials testified that conditions had improved and that reports of abuse are taken seriously.

“The Federal Bureau of Prisons strongly condemns all forms of sexually abusive behavior and takes seriously our duty to protect the individuals entrusted in our custody,” a spokesperson for the BOP said in an email. “All allegations are referred for administrative action or criminal prosecution. We will decline to comment further while these matters are pending before the court.”

But the 12 most recent lawsuits allege a range of abuses have continued, ranging from rape to a culture of voyeurism and forcing women into sexual acts in order to be released from their cells.

One plaintiff, who is using the initials F.S., alleged she was forcibly raped for weeks and that Officers Saucedo and Ramos held her down. F.S. is Native American and said that the officers made racist comments, including saying that Native Americans are “worth nothing but drinking alcohol and going to prison.”

Another plaintiff named A.Y. was allegedly awoken to Officer Allwine on top of her and removing her clothes multiple times. A.Y. claims officers also retaliated against her for reporting another officer’s abuse, reporting that they took her clothes, hygiene, books and items she had crocheted for her kids.

She alleged the officers said, “I’m gonna hit your room again; you’ll see when you get back.”

Other plaintiffs believe they have been targeted due to their immigration status. One woman named H.G., who is undocumented, said that she was threatened with deportation if she did not comply with demands for sex by Officer Chavez.

Chavez pleaded guilty to sexually abusing another woman in October 2022. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs said that prosecutors have since refused to offer support for victim-based visa applications for H.G. and other survivors who are facing deportation.

“It’s some of the same practices that we have seen in other cases that have been filed, but some of these have some of the most horrific facts,” Montes said.

Survivors of sexual abuse and retaliation, along with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, filed a class-action lawsuit in August 2023 against the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), FCI Dublin officials, and several individual officers.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that despite the convictions that have already taken place, women at the prison continue to endure horrific abuse and exploitation at the hands of prison employees. They said many were threatened and targeted due to their immigration status and who could face deportation, potentially separating them from families and children.

They were seeking a third-party monitor to oversee the prison, as well as access to legal counsel, the release of those sexual assault survivors still incarcerated, protection from deportation, and medical and mental health care for survivors. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is expected to decide whether to order the changes in the coming weeks.

“This horrific abuse is continuing to happen right here in the Bay Area even during and after officers being convicted,” said Emily Shapiro, a member of California Coalition for Women Prisoners, in a press statement on Friday. “The experiences of these 12 additional survivors speak to the fact that the abuse is systemic, that officers weaponize solitary confinement, immigration status, and write-ups to coerce people in Dublin, and that the culture of the BOP has not changed in any true or lasting way.”

KQED’s Alex Hall contributed to this report.