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Guards Suspended, Fired in Prostitution Probe at CCA-Run D.C. Jail
Jessica Rubio, 32, is a self-described prostitute and drug addict. She was arrested for prostitution and incarcerated at the Correctional Treatment Center annex of the D.C. Jail in Washington, D.C. when corrections counselor Sgt. Aundra Powell allegedly paid her pimp $50 to have sex with her. The pimp gave Rubio a receipt, which she showed to Powell. Powell then reportedly took Rubio to a satellite kitchen and had sex with her. This occurred four times.
Rubio was released, but re-arrested and again convicted of prostitution in June 2009. At that time, D.C. Department of Corrections investigators questioned her about her relationship with Powell. After she told them about the paid sexual encounters, she was transferred to the Rappahannock Regional Jail in Virginia.
Powell, assistant shift supervisor Lt. Ricardo Rich and an unidentified substance abuse counselor were immediately placed on paid leave. Rich was fired for unrelated reasons in June 2009. The Treatment Center is managed by Nashville, Tennessee-based Corrections Corporation of America (CCA).
Rubio has since filed a $20 million lawsuit against the District of Columbia and CCA, alleging violations of her rights in connection with the sexual encounters involving Powell. She said her treatment by Powell, who was supposed to be helping her “turn her life around,” made her feel “cheap, used and abused.” See: Rubio v. District of Columbia, U.S.D.C. (D. D.C.), Case No. 1:10-cv-00262-RWR.
Source: Washington Examiner
