Washington, DC - Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III of the Middle District of Florida announced today the indictment by a federal grand jury of U.S. Bureau of Prison (BOP) Correction Officers (COs) William Houghton and Eddie Rodas-Castro.

The indictment charges CO Houghton with violating the civil rights of an inmate inside the Coleman Correctional Facility in Coleman, Florida, on March 22, 2014, by striking the inmate repeatedly in the head and face, causing him injury.  The indictment also charges CO Houghton and CO Rodas-Castro with obstruction of justice by falsifying BOP reports and making false statements to federal investigators regarding the assault. 

This case is being investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Roy Conn of the Civil Right Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Bodnar of the Middle District of Florida.

An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.