A new indictment accuses a former corrections officer at a now-closed federal women's prison in California, known as the “rape club,” of abusing more female inmates.
A federal grand jury on Thursday returned a superseding indictment charging Darrell Wayne Smith with 15 counts of sexual abuse, including a civil rights violation, against five women who were incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, in the East Bay. Smith, known to inmates as “Dirty Dick,” had previously been accused of sexually abusing three female inmates. He is accused of sexually abusing the women in his cells and at a laundromat between 2016 and 2021.
Smith is one of eight FCI Dublin employees: including a former director — accused of sexually abusing women in prison. Inmates accuse him of actively roaming the prison, seeking out victims and locking women in their cells until they stripped naked in front of him.
“Today’s superseding indictment includes three new allegations of sexual assault by Smith, a correctional officer at FCI Dublin,” U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said in a statement. “The 15 counts against Smith allege that he sexually abused multiple inmates over several years, including in brazen and violent acts.”
The Bureau of Prisons closed FCI Dublin in April, saying it failed to meet standards even though the agency provided resources to address the facility’s culture of abuse and employee misconduct.
Allegations of criminal conduct at the prison reached the top. Warden Ray J. Garcia was convicted in March of having sex with and sexually abusing inmates. Inmates cannot legally consent to sex with prison workers. Garcia was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison.
The latest allegation follows a years-long scandal surrounding the facility. Since an FBI investigation was launched that led to arrests in 2021, eight FCI Dublin employees have been accused of sexually abusing inmates. Five have pleaded guilty and two, including Garcia, have been convicted by juries. Another employee is scheduled to stand trial this year.
“As alleged, Officer Daryl Smith engaged in heinous criminal acts when he sexually abused individuals in his care and custody,” U.S. Assistant Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. “This superseding indictment is the latest result of the department’s ongoing work to seek justice for victims of sexual assault at FCI Dublin.”
The initial federal indictment against Smith, 55, who now lives in Florida, was filed on April 13, 2023, and accused him of engaging in unlawful sexual acts with three female inmates. It included 12 counts of sexual abuse that occurred between 2016 and May 2021 in which Smith was alleged to have had sexual relations with three female inmates.
The new indictment identifies two additional victims by their initials and adds three counts against Smith, including a federal civil rights violation arising from allegations of aggravated sexual abuse against one of the women.
No preliminary hearing has been scheduled on the new charge. Smith, who was arrested in May and released on bail, is scheduled for a jury trial to begin March 17.
