James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia prison guard facing life in prison for allegedly raping an inmate now faces a civil lawsuit that also names the United States as a defendant.
A Jane Doe sued Michael Jefferson and the U.S. last week in Philadelphia federal court, months after U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jefferson had been charged with several counts of sexual abuse from an alleged rape on July 6, 2024.
The Doe plaintiff appears to be the same woman cited in the indictment, as her lawsuit says she was raped that day.
“Defendant United States of America… failed to provide proper monitoring and supervision to ensure that Ms. Doe was not being placed in the way of foreseeable harm, which ultimately resulted in her being raped by Officer Jefferson,” the suit says.
“Throughout this violent rape, and for the next few hours while Ms. Doe fearfully waited in her cell for her rapist to end his shift so that she could report the rape, no BOP officer checked, monitored, or observed Ms. Doe’s condition.”
Jefferson has pleaded not guilty as his criminal case proceeds. The civil suit against him says he stalked Doe and raped her in what is known as the “dry cell” in the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia.
She’d been placed on suicide watch after attempting to take her own life during her transfer to FDC. The “dry cell” is in the Special Housing Unit, which is on a different floor of the facility from the general population area.
Bureau of Prisons staff are required to maintain constant visual observation of those in dry cells, while another officer is assigned to patrol and monitor the cells. The condition of these units are “deplorable and inhumane,” the suit says, and Doe was forced to remain naked with only a blanket inside.
With no running water or toilet, she was forced to use the bathroom in a jug or a bedpan. She went to sleep the night of July 5, 2024, but says she was awoken by Jefferson, who pinned down her arms and threatened her to remain quiet.
“Ms. Doe pleaded with Officer Jefferson to not rape her,” the suit says. “He instead snapped back, ‘Shut up.’
“He then proceeded to vaginally rape Ms. Doe and also attempted to rape her anally. He did not wear a condom and ejaculated into her and onto her shirt.”
Emma Klein and Jaehyun Oh of The Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm in New York represent the plaintiff.
