2 Dublin prison officers placed on leave after woman makes 'sugar daddy claim'
2 Dublin prison officers placed on leave after woman makes 'sugar daddy claim'
Nicholas Ramos and Sergio Saucedo, correctional officers who work at the Federal Correctional Institute Dublin prison, have been "walked off" the job, or put on administrative leave, the day after KTVU published a story involving one of them requesting to be a formerly incarcerated woman's "sugar daddy."
DUBLIN, Calif. - Two correctional officers who work at the Federal Correctional Institute Dublin prison have been "walked off" the job, or put on administrative leave, the day after KTVU published a story involving one of them requesting to be a formerly incarcerated woman's "sugar daddy."
Nicholas Ramos and Sergio Saucedo were both placed on leave on Tuesday, according to John Kostelnik, the Western region vice president for the correctional workers union.
It wasn't clear why both officers were under investigation.
The Bureau of Prisons only confirmed that both officers are currently employed at FCI Dublin.
"Beyond this, we have no additional information to provide," a spokeswoman said.
EXCLUSIVE: Woman at center of Dublin prison sex scandal says guard used mental health files to prey on her
However, Andrea Reyes, a formerly incarcerated woman at the prison, had complained about Ramos, telling KTVU that he had asked to be her "sugar daddy" in 2016.
"He was offering to put money on my books or bring me stuff and [put money on] my commissary account," Reyes said.
But she rejected his offer, which would have meant she would have to repay his favors with sex.
She knew that if she entered a relationship with an officer, it could land her in a punitive cell.
According to Reyes, Ramos continued to sexually harass her anyway -- a month into her arrival at FCI Dublin after she was sentenced to serve a 10-year term for possession of methamphetamine.
She also accused Ramos of slamming a door on her, which caused bruising.
She said she reported Ramos' behavior to several superiors, including the now-retired warden, Ray J. Garcia, who is among four guards charged with sex abuse crimes at FCI Dublin in the last year.
But nothing was done.
"Nobody did anything," Reyes said. "Nobody. I went up their chain of command about this particular officer, Ramos. Nobody did anything…And all the staff was aware of the situation between Ramos and I."
In addition, in 2018, Ramos was charged with driving with a suspended license because of a prior DUI conviction, and fleeing the scene of a San Jose crash he instigated after having five empty vodka bottles found in his car in May of that year, according to the California Highway Patrol. No one was hurt, but Ramos had left his semi-crushed Nissan in the center median of Interstate Highway 680 at King Road.
Authorities knew that he worked for FCI Dublin because his uniform was found in his abandoned car.
A witness saw Ramos run away after taking his Glock from the trunk, the documents show. The CHP called the prison to inquire about Ramos, and a Human Resource employee confirmed he worked there but did not show up to work on the day of the accident because he had called in sick.
It's unclear if Ramos faced any repercussions at work because of the charges.
Exclusive: Woman at center of Dublin prison sex scandal says guard used mental health files to prey on her
Andrea Reyes, 34, of Perris, Riverside County, explained in an exclusive interview that former correctional officer Ross Klinger obtained access to her private health files while she was incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institute Dublin – an all-women’s prison 40 miles east of San Francisco.
MORE: 4 correctional employees at Dublin prison - including warden - charged with sex crimes
As for Saucedo, Reyes said he would mimic Ramos' behavior, even though he never directly sexually harassed her. Once, she remembers, he threw away her co-worker's rice to humiliate her for no reason.
"He would do random stuff like that to everybody," she said.
KTVU published and aired Reyes' story – which focused on another correctional officer sexually and emotionally abusing her – on Monday. That officer, Ross Klinger, has already pleaded guilty to three counts of abuse of a sexual ward,
Reyes only briefly referred to Ramos in that story, and not by name. She simply called him an attempted "sugar daddy."
Reyes is out of custody, serving the rest of her term, on house arrest in Riverside County.
In a statement, Kostelnick wrote: "The union condemns any illegal activity or violations within the position of trust. Safety within the walls of our institutions is the number one priority. We are unaware of the details on this particular case and cannot comment at this time. We endorse due process and will monitor the progress of this case as it progresses and as we are made aware."
Kostelnik was also present Monday when U.S. Congress members Eric Swalwell, Jackie Speier and Karen Bass – all Democrats from California – got a private walk-through of the federal all-women's prison, located next to Santa Rita Jail, about 40 miles east of San Francisco.
They wanted to see for themselves what is going on.
"I was here a month ago," Speier told reporters outside the prison. "And I was prevented from speaking privately with inmates. I made it very clear we would return. And we returned. This prison is a cultural, toxic environment. You have got a cultural rot in this institution that must be addressed."
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated to reflect that Ramos was charged with a misdemeanor DUI and hit and run in 2018.
Lisa Fernandez is a reporter for KTVU. Email Lisa at lisa.fernandez@fox.com or call her at 510-874-0139. Or follow her on Twitter @ljfernandez