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Lawsuit: New Mexico Inmate Raped By Prison Captain

A civil rights lawsuit says a former inmate of a New Mexico prison was repeatedly raped by a captain.  The lawsuit also alleges prison authorities thwarted a federal investigation into the rapes.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Valencia County district court on behalf of the former inmate alleges that a now retired captain at the Central New Mexico Correction Facility in Los Lunas forced the inmate into various sexual acts and threatened him if he didn't participate.

From The Albuquerque Journal

The lawsuit names as defendants Kenneth Carrejo, a former captain at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility, and Anthony Romero, who was warden at the Los Lunas prison at the time of the alleged rapes in 2011.
Carrejo has retired from the Corrections Department, although a spokeswoman could not say when. Romero is now deputy director of the department’s Adult Prisons Division. Neither man could be reached for comment.
“The type of activity that is alleged in this complaint has absolutely no place in New Mexico’s correctional facilities,” state Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel said in a written statement to the Journal. “Not only do we vigorously seek to prevent sexual assaults in our prisons, but we will unequivocally seek prosecution of any identified offenders regardless of their role or position.”

 

The lawsuit also says the prison's warden, Anthony Romero, revealed to others that an undercover agent was visiting the prison to look into the allegations. According the lawsuit, the former inmate seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

A spokeswoman for the New Mexico Corrections Department said officials had not yet seen the lawsuit.