4 Philly Prison Guards Violated Inmate's Constitutional Rights: Feds

PHILADELPHIA — Three Philadelphia correctional officers and their former supervisor are accused of violating an inmate's constitutional rights and working to cover it up.

United States Attorney David Metcalf said Georgia Malloy, 58, Jahaan Andrews, 34, Oneil Murray, 31, and Mumin Hart, 43, all of Philadelphia, were taken into federal custody recently on conspiracy and related crimes.

Andrews, Murray and Hart were all correctional officers at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, and Malloy was a lieutenant with the Philadelphia Department of Prisons and the officers’ supervisor at the prison.

Authorities allege that in October 2020, Andrews detained an inmate who was a pretrial detainee in a holding room, purportedly because Inmate 1 was wearing the wrong color jumpsuit.

Andrews, Murray, and Hart, along with Ronald Granville, who was charged elsewhere, and another officer subsequently took the inmate from the holding room and escorted him to his cell to conduct a strip search and have him change into the correct jumpsuit.

According to authorities, the group of correctional officers ordered the inmate to strip after reaching the cell.

Andrews, Murray, Hart, and Granville then punched, kicked, and assaulted the inmate numerous times, knocking him to the ground, authorities said.

As a result of the assault, the inmate was hospitalized with injuries to his face, ribs, and scrotum, and had to undergo emergency surgery, according to federal prosecutors.

After any use of force by a correctional officer against an inmate, correctional officers who used force and those who witnessed another C.O. use force are required to complete reports about what happened before their shift ends.

The indictment alleges that, from about Oct. 6, 2020, to Oct. 31, 2020, the four defendants and Granville conspired to falsify records, with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the FBI.

As alleged, Andrews, Murray, and Hart wrote their use of force reports about the Oct. 6 incident, and Malloy her investigation report, so that they exaggerated the aggressiveness of the inmate and disclosed as little of the true nature of the force the officers used against him as they believed was necessary, to avoid scrutiny of their conduct by their superior officers and others, authorities said.

The reports also falsely claimed that Granville did not use force in the Oct. 6, 2020, incident.

All four defendants are charged with conspiracy.

Andrews is also charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, two counts of falsification of records, and making a false statement to the FBI.

Murray is also charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of falsification of records.

Hart is also charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and falsification of records.

Malloy is also charged with two counts of falsification of records.

If convicted, Andrews faces a maximum possible sentence of 70 years of incarceration, Murray a maximum possible sentence of 65 years of incarceration, and Hart and Malloy a maximum possible sentence of 45 years of incarceration.