An aerial view of MCI Framingham, a women’s prison hit hard by the coronavirus with 71 confirmed cases on May 3, 2020 in Framingham, MA.
A corrections officer is facing charges after allegedly raping an inmate in Framingham, Massachusetts.
The Middlesex County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday that 49-year-old Joao Gomes of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, had been indicted in Woburn Superior Court.
Gomes is a corrections officer at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Framingham.
Prosecutors say Gomes has been charged with four counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault and three counts of delivering articles to prisoners. The latter charge stems from allegations that he bought underwear for multiple inmates.
"Gomes has been charged with rape under a statutory provision that was enacted as part of the 2020 police reform law that updated the statute relative to law enforcement engaging in sexual relations with persons under their custody or control," the district attorney's office wrote in a press release. "This is the first case in Middlesex County charged under the updated statute."
No further details about the allegations were available. It was not immediately clear if Gomes had an attorney.
