On November 27, 2023, a former BOP Correctional Officer assigned to the United States Penitentiary Hazelton (USP Hazelton) in West Virginia, was sentenced to 5 years of probation, a $200 special assessment, and a $1,000 fine for two counts of false statements to a federal agent. William Lewis was sentenced in the Northern District of West Virginia. According to the evidence presented at trial, on or about August 14, 2020, Lewis willfully and knowingly made materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements to OIG Special Agents by denying that any BOP staff in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) at USP Hazelton had used excessive force against inmates, and by stating that he “never told anybody” that he had “seen [SHU] officers going too far.” The statements and representations were false because Lewis had recently advised a Special Investigative Services Lieutenant that staff in the SHU at USP Hazelton were assaulting inmates and might ultimately kill an inmate. The investigation was conducted by the OIG’s Mid-Atlantic Region.
Date Issued
Case Action
Sentencing