PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON – A former senior correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Beaumont, Texas, was indicted Wednesday, May 1, on charges that he used unlawful force on an inmate and then submitted a false incident report, announced Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Joseph D. Brown, and Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Bourbon of the Dallas Field Office.

According to the indictment, Tavoris Bottley, 33, was working at FCC Beaumont on June 8, 2017, when he assaulted an inmate by punching the inmate in the head three times. The defendant then allegedly submitted an incident report that omitted these punches and falsely cited the inmate for attempting to assault staff.

The defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison for the civil rights violation, 20 years in prison for the obstruction offense, and a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge. 

An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Anderson of the Eastern District of Texas and Trial Attorney Nicholas Reddick of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.