A former officer of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has been sentenced to two years of probation. The sentencing took place following Daniel Mitchell's guilty plea on December 23, 2024, for conspiring to violate the civil rights of an inmate at Butner Correctional Institute.
Court records reveal that Mitchell, who was a lieutenant overseeing the Special Housing Unit (SHU) at the Federal Correctional Institute Butner Medium II, acted against BOP disciplinary policies. An incident on December 8, 2021, involved an inmate identified as K.G., who allegedly exposed himself to a female officer. Instead of filing the standard formal misconduct write-up, Mitchell instructed another officer to "teach [K.G.] a lesson" by physically assaulting him in a holding cell. Subsequent interviews with Mitchell and the other officer confirmed they had decided in Mitchell's office to carry out the assault on inmate K.G. as a form of punishment.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced the sentencing. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General. The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Eric Peffley.
Court documents and additional information can be accessed via the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or by searching Case No. 5:24-cr-0332-BO on PACER.