June 25, 2011 Contract security guard arrested at immigrant senter center for sexual abuse www.privateofficer.com
RAYMONDVILLE TX June 25 2011 — A guard at the illegal immigrant detention center here has been charged with sexual abuse of a female detainee.
Contract Security Officer Edwin Rodriguez, 31, of Raymondville, was charged in a federal indictment with sexual abuse of a female Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee who was under his supervision in the Willacy Detention Center, the Department of Justice said in a statement.
Rodriguez, who is employed by Management and Training Corp. of Centerville, Utah, was charged in a one-count felony indictment returned Tuesday by a Brownsville federal grand jury under seal, federal officials said in a statement. The indictment was unsealed following Rodriguez’s arrest on Wednesday, the DOJ said in a statement.
“According to allegations contained in the indictment, Rodriguez engaged in sexual intercourse with a female detainee on or about Oct. 26, 2008, while she was being held in official detention pending deportation,” DOJ said in the statement.
Rodriguez entered a plea of not guilty Thursday when he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Felix Recio, federal officials said. He will remain in federal custody without bond until a hearing on June 27, DOJ officials said.
Rodriguez faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release if convicted.
“MTC can’t comment about the specifics of this indictment as it is an open legal proceeding,” the company said in a written statement. “MTC has a zero tolerance policy for this type of activity. The company has an absolute expectation for the professional behavior of all employees. We have and will cooperate fully with authorities in their investigation of the alleged sexual abuse.”
The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Professional Responsibility in Harlingen, DOJ said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kebharu Smith and Civil Rights Division Criminal Section Trial Attorney Adriana Vieco are handling the prosecution, officials said in the statement.
Source:The Monitor
Tags: Contract security guard arrested at immigrant senter center for sexual abuse, Edwin Rodriguez
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