A federal jury in Baltimore has convicted Jermaine Sturgis, a former lieutenant correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) in Westover, Maryland, on charges of conspiring to obstruct justice and making false statements to a federal officer. The verdict was reached after a five-day trial.
According to evidence presented at trial, the incident occurred on July 12, 2021, when one of Sturgis’s junior officers used excessive force against an inmate. Sturgis and several other officers then conspired to delete a video recording that documented the inmate’s injuries and provided additional evidence of the use of force. During subsequent investigations by state and federal authorities, Sturgis made false statements.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland announced the guilty verdict alongside Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul from the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office.
"U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the FBI and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for its assistance. U.S. Attorney Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Aubin, and Trial Attorney Anita Channapati, Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Criminal Section, who prosecuted the case."
Sturgis faces up to five years in federal prison each for conspiracy to obstruct justice and for making false statements. Sentencing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox on April 9, 2026.
Sentences for federal crimes are often less than maximum penalties due to judicial consideration of sentencing guidelines and statutory factors.
Additional information about resources from the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/ as well as its community outreach initiatives at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
