MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A former Tennessee Department of Corrections officer has been sentenced to four years in prison for using excessive force on an inmate and trying to cover it up, the Justice Department said.
Javian Griffin, 38, received the sentence Monday, the agency said in a statement.
The former tactical officer at Northwest Correctional Complex pleaded guilty in October to punching the inmate in the head without justification and breaking his jaw. The inmate did not resist or pose a threat and Griffin wrote a false report about it, court documents said.
“No correctional officer is above the law,” U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz said. “This office’s National Security and Civil Rights Unit will continue to prioritize the prosecution of public employees who violate the civil rights of others.”
A co-defendant was sentenced in February to 15 months in prison for assisting with the cover-up by writing a false report, the agency said.
Katie Price 'has vowed to name and shame the celebrity who raped her in explosive new book'
Belgium launches probe into suspected Russian interference in upcoming EU elections
Russian authorities announced mass evacuation for flood
Guilty plea by leader of polygamous sect near the Arizona
Malaysian soccer player splashed with acid, two others attacked in a week of rare violence
US border arrests fall in March, bucking seasonal trends amid increased enforcement in Mexico
At least 13 people are killed and an estimated 15,000 displaced by flooding in Kenya
Pope will travel to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore in longest trip of papacy
UK weather: Last month was the hottest April on record worldwide since 1940
Rescuers in Ukraine pull 5 puppies from the rubble of a building destroyed by fire
Hong Kong court bans 'Glory to Hong Kong' song
New York hush money case: Judge declines to delay trial after Trump complains of pretrial publicity