Former Prison Lieutenant Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Violation After Inmate Assault at Butner Facility
RALEIGH, N.C. – Daniel Mitchell, a former lieutenant with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP), has pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate an inmate’s civil rights in a shocking case of abuse of power at the Federal Correctional Institute Butner (NC) Medium II, located just 15 miles from the Triangle.
“The defendant’s actions were an unacceptable breach of his responsibilities as a law enforcement officer,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “FBOP officers cannot take the law into their own hands, and the Justice Department will aggressively prosecute federal and local law enforcement officials who use physical force to punish inmates.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on Dec. 8, 2021, Mitchell was on duty as a lieutenant supervising the special housing unit (SHU) at Federal Correctional Institute Butner Medium II. Victim K.G. was an inmate housed in the SHU under Mitchell’s supervision.
That morning, a female officer reported to Mitchell that she had been doing rounds in the SHU when inmate K.G. exposed himself and engaged in a sexual act within her view. After the female officer left, Mitchell called another corrections officer, co-conspirator 1, into his office to discuss how to handle K.G.’s alleged misconduct. The standard disciplinary process at FBOP involved a formal write-up of the alleged misconduct. Mitchell and co-conspirator 1 decided that the formal disciplinary was not sufficient. Instead, Mitchell directed co-conspirator 1 to take inmate K.G. from his cell to a holding cell to teach him a lesson by “tuning him up.”
After receiving Mitchell’s instructions, co-conspirator 1 asked some fellow officers to help move inmate K.G. to a holding cell. Once they were alone in the cell, co-conspirator 1 struck and kicked inmate K.G. several times and knocked him to the ground. Other officers intervened and pulled co-conspirator 1 away from K.G. Victim K.G. sustained minor injuries and later called a medical emergency to his room because the incident aggravated a preexisting back condition and caused spasms.
The incident came to light after an officer witness reported the assault, prompting an investigation by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General. Interviews with multiple officers confirmed the coordinated attack and implicated Mitchell as the orchestrator of the retaliation.
“Mitchell’s actions undermine the rule of law and endanger the integrity of our correctional system,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr., for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “We will not tolerate misconduct by those sworn to uphold justice.”
Mitchell now faces up to 10 years in federal prison, with sentencing scheduled for March 31, 2025. This case highlights the Justice Department’s commitment to safeguarding civil rights and holding law enforcement accountable for abuses of power.
The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General led the investigation, with prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh and Trial Attorney Eric Peffley of the Civil Rights Division.