A guard at a federal jail in Los Angeles was arrested Wednesday on charges that he lied to investigators about engaging in sexual activity with an inmate at the federal jail, prosecutors said.
Abel Concho, 53, of East L.A., is charged with one count of making false statements.
According to the federal grand jury indictment, Concho worked as a correctional officer at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown L.A. where he was responsible for the victim, an inmate, from June 2010 to February 2011.
Concho allegedly lied to federal investigators during a criminal investigation into allegations that Concho has sexual contact with multiple inmates at the jail took place between February 2020 to July 2021.
A statement by the U.S. Attorney’s office said that when federal investigators interviewed Concho he made a “series of false statements, including that he ‘never’ had sexual contact with one MDC inmate.”
Concho eventually admitted to having sex and oral sex with the victim “once (or) twice” according to the indictment. Prosecutors say Concho had sexual contact with the victim at least three dozen times.
It is crime for any Federal Bureau of Prisons employee, such as Concho, to engage in a sexual act with an inmate.
Concho also allegedly smuggled a cellphone into the jail for the victim to take nude photographs of themselves, which were then given to Concho.
If convicted, Concho could face five years in federal prison.
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