A former Oregon Department of Corrections employee, Tony Daniel Klein, was sentenced yesterday for sexually assaulting nine female inmates while serving as a nurse at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Oregon's only women's prison.
Klein, 38, from Clackamas County, Oregon, received a 30-year prison sentence and five years of supervised release. A restitution hearing will be held at a later date.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division emphasized the importance of this sentencing as a message to officials working inside jails and prisons across the country. She stated that those who sexually assault inmates in their custody will be held accountable. She also expressed the need for inmates to access medical care without fear of exploitation by those in positions of power.
U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight for the District of Oregon noted that Klein's accountability for his crimes would not have been possible without the courage and determination of the women he abused, as well as the dedication of law enforcement agencies involved in the case.
Special Agent in Charge Kieran L. Ramsey of the FBI Portland Field Office acknowledged that this prison sentence couldn't undo the trauma inflicted on the victims but hoped it would aid in their healing. He commended the investigators and prosecutors for their efforts and recognized the bravery of the women who came forward.
Court documents revealed that from 2010 to January 2018, Klein worked as a nurse at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon. In his role, he had access to female inmates seeking medical treatment or working as orderlies in the prison's medical unit. Leveraging his position, Klein sexually assaulted or engaged in nonconsensual sexual conduct with several female inmates under his care.
Klein frequently had opportunities to be alone with his victims and assaulted many before, during, or after medical treatment. For female inmates working in the medical unit, Klein manipulated situations to isolate them in secluded areas such as medical rooms, janitor's closets, or behind privacy curtains. He intimidated his victims into submission by making them believe they wouldn't be believed if they reported his abuse.
On March 8, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Klein on charges of depriving his victims of their constitutional right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment through sexual assault. The indictment also included charges of perjury.
On July 25, a federal jury in Portland found Klein guilty of 17 counts of depriving his victims of their constitutional right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment through sexual assault and four counts of perjury.
The FBI Portland Field Office conducted the investigation.
