A former correctional officer in Hawaii has admitted to sexually abusing inmates under his supervision. Mikael Rivera, aged 47 and a resident of Kapolei, pleaded guilty to the charges on March 3, according to court documents.
Rivera served as a correctional officer at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu from approximately 2014 to 2018. During this time, he committed multiple sexual acts with one inmate who did not consent and engaged in sexually abusive conduct with two additional inmates.
The charges against Rivera include six counts of sexual abuse of a ward. He is set for sentencing on July 3 and could face up to 15 years in prison for each count. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson for the District of Hawaii, Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in Charge Zachary Shroyer of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG) Western Region.
The DOJ-OIG is leading the investigation into Rivera's actions with support from the FBI. Prosecutors handling the case are Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Ayabe for the District of Hawaii and Trial Attorney Nicole Lockhart from the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN), aided significantly by former PIN Deputy Chiefs Jennifer Clarke and Marco Palmieri.