ABILENE, Texas (AP) — Two former guards at a West Texas federal prison have been sentenced on charges stemming from an investigation of an inmate suicide two years ago.
U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings on Friday sentenced 45-year-old Frederick Hernandez, of Big Spring, to 10 months in prison and 42-year-old Christopher Moore, of Dallas, to three years’ probation.
Prosecutors say both worked at the Big Spring Correctional Center, a federal lockup run by a private contractor, and pleaded guilty earlier. Investigators looking into the suicide of an inmate determined paperwork that showed required safety checks and inmate counts were falsified.
Hernandez said he signed the logs showing the checks were conducted even though he knew they had not. Moore acknowledged knowing the forms were false, but concealed the fact and failed to notify supervisors.
