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A 40-year-old California women’s prison official has been convicted of two counts of s*xual abuse of a ward and three counts of s*xually abusive contact, in connection with the offenses committed between December 2019 to December 2020. The verdict came out on Monday as John Bellhouse was found guilty of s*xually abusing two wards at the prison.
Trigger warning: The article contains references to s*xual abuse and harassment. Readers’ discretion is advised.
John Bellhouse was the prison safety manager at the Federal Correctional Institute in Dublin, California. Originating from Pleasanton, Bellhouse had tears in his eyes when the verdict was announced by US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
The incidents were concerned with two female inmates identified as Genesis and Ana. John Bellhouse is one of the six correctional officers from the California women’s jail to have been charged with s*x crimes.
Former California women’s correctional officer John Bellhouse has been found guilty of s*xually abusing inmates for over a year
40-year-old John Bellhouse’s sentencing is scheduled for August 30, 2023. He was facing five counts of s*x abuse involving Genesis and Ana. Bellhouse is the fifth one to get convicted so far.
Ana testified that she performed oral s*x on the California prison officer, and in return, she would get earrings and her yarn from him. Another woman, identified as Cristina, testified that John Bellhouse s*xually abused her by inserting his finger into her genitals, and also groped her through her cell window.
The US Attorney’s Office, however, did not press charges regarding these alleged incidents. Genesis also claimed that John s*xually harassed her for several months, and also touched her inappropriately.
Former FCI Dublin Warden Ray Garcia was also charged with several s*x crimes and was convicted in December. Garcia was sentenced to almost six years in jail. Three other officers also pleaded guilty. The sixth officer, identified as Darrell Smith was arrested in May, and has not entered a plea as of now.
Bellhouse is facing a maximum of 15 years in prison
In Bellhouse’s case, defense attorneys claimed that the women were motivated to file the cases against the defendant for lots of money. However, the jurors didn’t seem convinced. One of them said:
“We just didn’t buy it.”
While US Attorney for the Northern District of California Ismail J. Ramsey stated that the crimes committed were “despicable and corrupt”, Deputy General Lisa O. Monaco said that the ex-correctional officer “committed an egregious breach of trust.” FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said:
“The heinous crimes, in this case, destroyed the sense of safety and security every human being is entitled to.”
Three charges in Bellhouse’s indictment are related to Ana, while the two other charges are related to Genesis. John Bellhouse currently faces a maximum of 15 years behind bars for the s*x crime-related charges against him.
Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz further claimed that they are still investigating the s*xual abuse at the California women’s prison, and are trying to pursue justice for possible victims.
