The male warden of an all-female California prison is accused of sexually abusing a woman held there and taking photos of her naked, DOJ says

• Ray J. Garcia is charged with sexually abusing a woman at a prison he guarded in California.
• The DOJ cited a complaint alleging he "digitally penetrated the victim on multiple occasions."
• Garcia faces 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if found guilty, the DOJ said.

The male warden of an all-female federal prison in California has been charged with sexually abusing a woman who was being held there, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.

Ray J. Garcia, 54, was working as an associate warden at the Federal Correctional Institute in the city of Dublin, near San Francisco, at the time of the allegations, the DOJ said. He was placed on administrative leave in July, the department said.

The DOJ cited a complaint alleging that he "digitally penetrated the victim on multiple occasions." The woman was not named.

In one instance, the DOJ said, Garcia is accused of first assaulting the woman and then moving her hand onto his genitals when she pushed his hand away.

Garcia is also accused of taking photos of the woman naked and showing her photos of his penis on his phone.

The DOJ said the complaint went on to accuse Garcia of trying to stop the woman from reporting him by telling her that he couldn't be fired because he was "close friends" with the person tasked with investigating inmate allegations.

As part of his prison duties, Garcia had led sexual-assault training for the staff in 2019 and 2020, the DOJ said.

Garcia, who has been charged with one count of sexual abuse of a ward, made his first court appearance Wednesday and is next due in court on November 12, the DOJ said.

He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if found guilty, the DOJ said.