A correctional officer and his former supervisor at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia have been convicted for violating an inmate’s constitutional rights and attempting to cover up the incident. The verdict was announced by United States Attorney David Metcalf.
Jahaan Andrews, 34, a correctional officer, and Georgia Malloy, 58, a lieutenant with the Philadelphia Department of Prisons (PDP), were found guilty after a trial. Both are residents of Philadelphia. They were indicted in September last year alongside another correctional officer, Oneil Murray, 31. Murray pleaded guilty earlier this month.
The charges stem from an incident on October 6, 2020. According to evidence presented at trial, Andrews detained a pretrial detainee referred to as Inmate 1 for wearing the wrong color jumpsuit. Andrews, Malloy, a correctional sergeant (charged separately), and another officer escorted Inmate 1 to his cell to conduct a strip search and change his clothing.
Once inside the cell, officers ordered Inmate 1 to undress and then assaulted him by punching and kicking him multiple times until he fell to the ground. The inmate was hospitalized with injuries including trauma to his face, ribs, and scrotum that required emergency surgery.
Following department protocol, correctional officers involved in or witnessing use of force incidents are required to submit reports before their shift ends. In this case, prosecutors said that in the weeks after the assault, Andrews and Malloy conspired with others to falsify records in order to impede an FBI investigation into the matter.
Andrews and Murray submitted use of force reports about the incident while Malloy wrote an investigative report. All three exaggerated Inmate 1’s aggressiveness and minimized details about the force used against him. The reports also falsely stated that the correctional sergeant did not use force during the incident.
Andrews faces up to 35 years in prison while Malloy could receive up to 40 years.
“Correctional officers hold extraordinary power over those in their custody, and with that power comes a clear obligation to protect individuals’ rights while in custody,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “The defendants abused that authority by violently assaulting an inmate and then attempting to conceal their misconduct. This guilty verdict affirms that civil rights violations, especially by those sworn to uphold the law, will be investigated and prosecuted, and those responsible will be held accountable.”
"Let these convictions show that no law enforcement officer is above the law," said Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office. "Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI will continue to aggressively investigate potential abuses of power and civil rights violations in our community. We remain steadfast in investigating and bringing to justice those who abuse their authority."
The FBI led the investigation with support from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. Assistant United States Attorneys Everett Witherell and Michael Miller are prosecuting the case.
