Former Georgia Prison Guard Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault of Female Inmates, Obstruction, and Maliciously Conveying False Information About Explosives

Former Georgia prison guard Edgar Daniel Johnson, 51, pleaded guilty on Monday to sexually assaulting three female inmates at the Emanuel Women’s Facility in Swainsboro, Georgia, and to coercing the women to help him cover up the assaults.  Johnson also pleaded guilty to making a bomb threat at Elba Island on a separate occasion, in May 2017.  Johnson pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Georgia to three counts of willfully depriving the inmates of their Eighth Amendment rights under color of law, three counts of obstruction for coercing the women to cover up the assaults, and one count of maliciously conveying false information about explosive materials.

During the plea hearing, Johnson admitted that, between November 1, 2012, and September 30, 2013, while he was working as a Georgia Department of Corrections prison guard at the Emanuel Women’s Facility, he engaged in non-consensual vaginal intercourse on more than one occasion with female inmates S.A., M.A., and M.P.  Johnson further admitted that each act of intercourse was against the inmate’s will and violated the inmate’s right under the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to be free from cruel and unusual punishment, which includes the right to be free from unwanted sexual assaults.  Johnson further admitted that he coerced each of the inmates to cover up the assaults after the fact to help him avoid detection by investigators.  Johnson also admitted that on May 3, 2017, he used a cellular telephone to call Southside Fire Department in Chatham County, Georgia and falsely report a bomb threat at Elba Island.

“This defendant abused his legal authority to prey on vulnerable women who had been entrusted to his care.  His actions undermine the rule of law and the well-being of our communities,” said John Gore, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is committed to protecting the constitutional and civil rights of all individuals, and will hold law enforcement officers accountable to their oath to uphold the Constitution.”

 “No one is above the law, and the criminal actions of this former prison guard compel a strong rebuke. Anyone who chooses to prey on others under color of official right should expect federal prosecution and jail,” said United States Attorney R. Brian Tanner.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Augusta Resident Agency with assistance from the Georgia Department of Corrections and the District Attorney’s Office for Swainsboro, Georgia.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara Lyons and Matthew Josephson of the Southern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Risa Berkower of the Civil Rights Division.

Robert Patterson named DEA acting administrator

OCT 3 - WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice has designated Robert W. Patterson as the Drug Enforcement Administration acting administrator.

Patterson was appointed as DEA’s principal deputy administrator in November 2016. In that role, he served as DEA’s chief operating officer, overseeing all of the agency’s enforcement, intelligence, administrative, and regulatory activities worldwide. He is the highest ranking career special agent at DEA.

Patterson came to this position after serving as DEA’s chief inspector beginning in November 2015. As the chief inspector, he had oversight of the Office of Inspections, the Office of Security Programs, and the Office of Professional Responsibility. Collectively, these offices comprise DEA’s internal affairs, compliance, and security programs and provide guidance and support to DEA Headquarters and Field Offices.

Prior to his appointment as the chief inspector, Patterson served in a variety other positions within DEA, including assistant special agent in charge, and later acting special agent in charge of the DEA Special Operations Division, where he oversaw classified programs, and communication exploitation tools, in support of field operations.

Prior to his assignment at SOD, Patterson was a group supervisor in the agency’s Miami Division, where he led the operations of the Orlando District Office Task Force, and later served as acting ASAC.

Patterson began his career with DEA in 1988 in the New York Division, where he worked numerous racketeering influenced and corrupt organizations, known as RICO, investigations. He was also part of a special program established to combat the growing opioid epidemic and associated violence in the greater New York area.

A native of New Jersey, Patterson received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University, where he graduated with honors. Over his nearly 30 years with DEA, Patterson has gained a reputation as an expert on transnational criminal networks, narcotics trafficking and trends, as well as governing policy and agency oversight matters.

Justice Department Announces Initiative to Combat Sexual Harassment in Housing

The Justice Department today announced a new initiative to combat sexual harassment in housing.  The initiative specifically seeks to increase the Department’s efforts to protect women from harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, security guards, and other employees and representatives of rental property owners.  As part of the initiative, the Department will work to identify barriers to reporting sexual harassment to the Department and other enforcement agencies, and will collaborate with local law enforcement, legal services providers, and public housing authorities to leverage their expertise.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability.  Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination prohibited under this law.  The Civil Rights Division plans to launch a pilot of the initiative in two jurisdictions -- Washington, D.C., and western Virginia -- where it is working with legal service providers and local law enforcement to raise awareness about this issue.  The Department hopes to expand the effort to other areas of the country in the near future.

The announcement comes on the heels of the Department’s successful resolution of two sexual harassment cases in Kansas City, Kansas, and Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Since January of this year, the Civil Rights Division has filed or settled five cases and recovered over $1 million for victims of sexual harassment in housing.  In the Kansas City case, the Justice Department recovered $360,000 for 14 female residents and applicants of a housing authority who were subjected to unwanted sexual conduct.  The Department’s complaint alleged in part that an employee of the housing authority subjected women to unwanted sexual conduct as a condition for favorable hearing decisions, including asking them sexual questions, showing pornographic pictures and videos, making explicit sexual comments, and exposing himself.

“No woman should be made to feel unsafe in her own home,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John M. Gore of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in announcing the initiative.  “The Justice Department is committed to vigorously enforcing the Fair Housing Act’s ban on sexual harassment and is looking forward to working closely with state and local partners to combat this problem.”

More information about the Civil Rights Division and the civil rights laws it enforces is available at www.usdoj.gov/crt. Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination should call the department at 1-844-380-6178, or send an e-mail to fairhousing@usdoj.gov, or contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777.