EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- A federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment for three Pinckneyville Correctional Center officers on Tuesday.
The indictment charges the three officers for civil rights violations and conspiring to falsify reports about the incident, according to the United States Attorney's Office Southern District of Illinois.
The release states Cord A. Williams, 35, Christian L. Pyles, 25, and Mark C. Maxwell, 52, were charged in the indictment.
Williams and Pyles were indicted for violation of civil rights under color of law, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice.
On April 24, 2022, correctional officers Williams and Pyles beat an inmate who was fully restrained with his hands cuffed behind his back and secured in leg irons, the indictment alleges.
The release said Maxwell is charged with a separate civil rights violation. That count alleges Maxwell was working as an acting lieutenant when he failed to intervene and allowed the inmate to be beaten in his presence.
Official duties with the the correctional officers is they are required to write incident reports to accurately document any unusual incidents that they observe or are reported to them, including disturbances or the use of force, the release states.
The release also read that the conspiracy count alleges that Williams and Pyles colluded with other officers to file false reports about the incident. Williams and Pyles are separately charged with obstruction of justice for filing their false reports.
Deprivation of civil rights under color of law is punishable by up to 10 years� imprisonment, the release stated. Conspiracy to obstruct justice is punishable by up to 5 years� imprisonment. Obstruction of justice is punishable by up to 20 years� imprisonment. Each count also carries a possible fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release.
“Accusations of unlawful misconduct by correctional officers must be investigated in order to protect the integrity of the criminal justice system,� said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe.
Illinois State Police are the lead in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft is the prosecutor for the case.
