A former prison doctor was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing inmates who came to him for treatment at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta.
Dr. Lewis Jackson, 34, admitted last month to trying to perform oral and anal sex on inmates in 2011, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
“The federal inmates who relied on Dr. Jackson for their care believed he would treat them humanely,” United States Attorney Mrs.Sally Quillian Yates said. “He exploited this trust when he sexually abused three inmates at the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta and another inmate at the District of Columbia jail.
“His conduct cost him his license to practice medicine and ensured he will spend the next several years as an inmate himself.”
Mr. Jackson also recently pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District Columbia to three counts of sexually abusing another inmate in the District of Columbia Jail in 2008.
According to that indictment, Mr. Jackson, who was working at the District of Columbia jail, performed a series of sex acts on the inmate after he sought medical treatment. Mr. Jackson was on bond in that case when he was arrested in Atlanta.
At that time he was working as a physician at the Atlanta penitentiary, which houses medium-security male inmates and has a satellite camp for minimum-security male inmates, from January 2011 through July 2012.
In October 2011, Dr. Jackson tried to perform oral sex on three inmates during the course of their medical exams, according to court records. In one case, Dr. Jackson also attempted to engage in anal sex with an inmate.
When confronted by federal agents, Dr. Jackson denied engaging in the sex acts. But after agents played an undercover recording made by one of the inmates, he recanted.
Dr. Jackson was initially scheduled to enter his guilty plea on Aug. 23, but that was delayed because he tried to commit suicide the previous day, according to a media report.
He was then hospitalized for seven days.
Dr. Jackson, charged with three counts of sexually abusing a ward and lying to federal agents, was facing up to 15 years in prison for each of the sexual abuse charge.
He is still awaiting sentencing in the District of Columbia case.
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