A gay inmate is suing a Florence prison for doing nothing after he was threatened by a fellow prisoner and then raped repeatedly by him.
“This is malice. This is sadistic. They set him up to be beaten and raped and that is exactly what happened to him,” said Denver attorney David Lane, who recently filed a lawsuit on the gay inmate’s behalf against the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The 21-year-old inmate, who’s name is being withheld because of the alleged rape, is suing for compensation and a punitive award after the pain and suffering he allegedly went through.
Apparently, the threats started back on August 6, 2014. Allegedly, eight members of an American Indian prison gang called “The Boys,” which includes his eventual cellmate William Mexican, started insulting him for being gay, and ostracized him from parts of the prison.
That’s when the victim looked towards prison officials for help and protection, but to no avail. In fact, the inmate was later disciplined for being “deceitful” about the threats.
“All of the inmates denied the allegations except Mexican, who “openly admitted to having made threats,” the lawsuit says. Mexican told investigators he “would have issues” if the alleged victim was returned to the same yard.”
On October 8th of the same year, the unnamed victim was moved into the same cell as Mexican who then repeatedly beat and raped the fellow inmate.
Despite repeatedly pressing a “duress” button, the victim wasn’t helped until October 10. That said, the officer who took him to the hospital allegedly laughed after hearing of the victim’s beating.
Mexican later admitted to his crimes of assault with the reasoning that he didn’t want other inmates to think he “condoned homosexuality” as the lawsuit says.
Despite Mexican being inducted in March of 2015 for charges of sexual abuse by force or violence and assault resulting in serious injury and later pleading guilty, the unnamed gay inmate still wants the prison to pay for their part in his trauma.
