Authorities in Framingham, Massachusetts, said that a corrections officer had been arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of repeatedly sexually abusing a female prisoner at the state prison. The Middlesex County District Attorney’s office released a statement citing Joao Gomes, 49, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, as the defendant in an indictment in Woburn Superior Court on four counts of rape and three counts of indecent assault and battery pertaining to multiple alleged incidents involving the inmate at MCI-Framingham. Gomes is additionally accused with three charges of transporting items to inmates in a correctional facility, reportedly for the purpose of buying undergarments for other prisoners.
The DA’s office claims that Gomes is facing charges under a statute that was passed as part of a police reform law in 2020. This statute permits law enforcement officials to face charges of rape or indecent assault and battery if they engage in sexual activity with or injure someone while they are under their custody. The DA’s office reported that Gomes was taken into custody at his Rhode Island residence. There is no set date for his appearance in Middlesex Superior Court.
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