Former officer at Richwood Correctional Center pleads guilty for role in conspiracy to cover up physical assault of five inmates

MONROE, La. – The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today that Quintail Credit, a former officer at the Richwood Correctional Center, pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday for his role in a conspiracy to cover up the physical assault of five inmates by officers.  Credit, 26, of Winsboro, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to conspiring with other officers to falsify documents with intent to obstruct and influence the investigation of a matter within federal jurisdiction.  Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana David C. Joseph made the announcement.

“Any officer who conspires to cover up any crime or physical assault against an inmate violates federal law and will be held accountable under the law,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. “The Justice Department will continue to prosecute unlawful misconduct by correction officers.”

“Criminal conduct by correctional officers will not be tolerated in the Western District of Louisiana,” said U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph.  “Correctional officers deserve our respect for the jobs they do, but we must also hold them accountable when they willfully break the law and cover up the abuse of inmates.”

According to his guilty plea, Credit worked as a correctional officer at the Richwood Correctional Center in Richwood, Louisiana, where on Oct. 30, 2016, he and other officers abused inmates and then conspired to cover it up.  According to Mr. Credit, he and other officers sprayed a chemical agent directly in the faces and eyes of five inmates while the inmates were handcuffed, compliant, kneeling on the floor, and not posing a physical threat to anyone.  Following that abuse, Mr. Credit and the other officers conspired to hide their conduct by submitting false reports.

Roderick Douglas, a former supervisor at the Richwood Correctional Center, pleaded guilty in federal court on January 31, 2019 for his role in the conspiracy to violate the civil rights of five inmates.  Sentencing for Douglas is scheduled for June 5, 2019.

The count of conviction carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a criminal fine of up to $250,000.  Quintail Credit is scheduled to be sentenced on May 17, 2019 by U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty of the Western District of Louisiana, who accepted the plea.

The case was investigated by the Monroe Division of the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Mudrick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Louisiana, and Trial Attorney Anita Channapati of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, are prosecuting the case.