7th FCI Dublin correctional officer sentenced for 'egregious' sex acts
OAKLAND, Calif. - A judge on Wednesday sentenced a former FCI Dublin correctional supervisor to six years in prison, after all the parties involved described his "egregious" sex acts with seven incarcerated women, all of whom testified that he degraded them and made them fearful of most men.
"He is one of the most egregious officers out there," U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez, her voice rising. "He did this day and in day out for months."
She then spoke directly to Nakie (Nuh-KEE-Uh) Nunley, 48, of Fairfield, Calif. who stood before her, clutching a podium.
"You left a wake of destruction behind you," the judge said. "A wake of destruction….You were cruel. You were perverse. You were predatory and you exploited them."
As Asst. U.S. Attorney Molly Priedeman painted a picture of his abuse – kicking women's chairs, touching them and threatening to transfer them if they didn't engage in sex acts – Nunley stood by his lawyer's side, dabbing his eyes with a white handkerchief, blowing his nose through his tears.
"Why are you crying now?" one of his sexual assault survivors burst out angrily during her testimony.
Nunley addressed the women he assaulted while also asking the women for mercy.
"First and foremost, I want to apologize to the women," Nunley said. "I am deeply, deeply saddened at how I affected them. This is not a reflection of who I am. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."
Nunley had a small group of family members – including his first and second wives – sitting in the courtroom to support him.
In September 2023, Nunley pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual abuse of a ward involving two women, five counts of abusive sexual contact related to three women and one count of false statements to a government agency. The women are identified as YY, CW, JM, TH and AA. Nunley also admitted to abusing two other women, KS and AS, in his plea agreement.
Nunley was a UNICOR customer service supervisor for the prison's call desk.
UNICOR is the trade name for Federal Prison Industries, which was established by Congress in 1934. Its mission is to prepare incarcerated people for successful reentry through job training.
Priedeman said this is the most desirable unit to work in at the prison because it pays the highest salary and teaches incarcerated people real-world skills.
"He was well aware of his power," Priedeman said, adding that he was known for harassing and degrading women, having intercourse with at least one of the women.
Former FCI Dublin UNICOR supervisor enters the Oakland federal courthouse before being sentenced for sex crimes. May 27, 2024
"Nunley's crimes are egregious," prosecutors wrote in court filings ahead of Nunley's sentencing hearing. "Nunley's harassment was pervasive and persistent. When his victims told him to stop making sexual comments or touching them, he laughed in their faces."
Women described him as "bold," and he often walked by the female workers, slapping their heads and pulling out their chairs when they tried to sit down. He also would stand next to them with his penis close to their faces.
Priedeman said in one instance, he threatened to transfer one woman away from FCI Dublin if she didn't engage in sexual activity, and he made another woman pull down her underwear if she wanted to keep her job.
One of the women who testified on Zoom during the hearing described how Nunley raped her, forcing her to sit on him while he refused to use a condom and then ejaculated into his hand. She spoke through tears, describing how "disgusted" she felt.
Though she's no longer in prison, she said she suffers from severe mental health issues and suicidal thoughts because of what happened to her.
Another woman described how Nunley fingered her, grabbed her vagina and told her it was "fat and juicy." She said the entire event made her feel "uncomfortable" and "gross," but she was hesitant to report the behavior because she didn't want to be retaliated against.
"This is the first time I'm speaking about my victimization," she said. "It's about time. I'm trying to find my voice."
Another woman testified that Nunley would touch her breasts in public, and she was shocked that he would do that and that no other officer would help her. Once, she said he joked about having a threesome, saying he wanted to "Oreo sandwich" her and the other woman.
Another time, she said he pulled out his penis in front of her and told her to fondle him. She said she ran away before he could have sex with her.
"I had never been raped before," she said, crying. "I was scared for my life."
She said she was fired from her job at UNICOR in 2022 with no explanation. And she added that Nunely wasn't the only officer at FCI Dublin to abuse her.
Some of the women testified in person.
One woman could barely get her words out because of her tears, as she stood a few feet away from Nunley.
Though she is a student now, she said she can't be around men – a theme repeated by all the women who gave impact statements before the judge.
"He threatened my job," she said. "It was hell there. I hope you can see how he destroyed me."
As the women testified over three hours, Nunley looked downward. Sometimes he shook his head from side to side.
Before he was sentenced, Nunley's attorney, Tim Pori of Fairfield, asked for leniency, saying his client grew up in Compton, Calif., and then joined the Air Force at age 18 before he was hired by the Bureau of Prisons, where he served for 20 years.
Pori also acknowledged Nunley committed "egregious" acts, but only in the last two years on the job. He indicated Nunley enrolled in a weekly sex addiction group, which he has been attending since September. He was arrested in July 2023.
Several of Nunley's relatives spoke, including his stepdaughter, sons, sister, his first wife, Nicole, and his second wife, Samantha Nunley.
Samantha Nunley said Nunley made her life better and is a good father to their four sons. She admitted that these charges have been "incredibly difficult" for the family and she asked the judge to consider Nunley as a "whole person" instead of just focusing on his "transgressions."
Nunley is the seventh out of eight FCI Dublin officers sentenced for sex crimes since 2021. The eighth, Darrell "Dirty Dick" Smith, has entered a not-guilty plea and his next court hearing is scheduled for April 18.
The highest profile sentencing was of former Ray J. Garcia, who the judge sentenced to five years and 10 months for his abuse of three women, which did not include sexual penetration.
Former officer and food supervisor Andrew Jones received the harshest punishment of eight years. And former officer Ross Klinger received the most lenient sentence; one year at home after pleading guilty to having sexual contact with three women.
FCI Dublin's are continuing, despite vows from new prison management that things are better at the all-women's prison.
The FBI raided the prison on March 12, though no criminal charges have yet to be filed during that operation.
In addition, five days after the raid, Gonzalez Rogers ordered a "special master" to preside over the prison as she called it a "dysfunctional mess."
She will be interviewing candidates for the job on April 2.
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