Former Correctional Officer Found Guilty of Obstruction of Justice and False Statements After Trial

Baltimore, Maryland – After a five-day trial, a federal jury convicted Jermaine Sturgis, 41, of Laurel, Delaware, for conspiring to obstruct justice and making false statements to a federal officer. Sturgis previously served as a lieutenant correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI), located in Westover, Maryland.  Sturgis was found guilty for his role in covering up evidence that a fellow ECI officer unlawfully assaulted an inmate.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty verdict with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.

According to the trial testimony, on July 12, 2021, after one of the Sturgis’s junior officers used excessive force against an inmate, Sturgis and multiple officers conspired to delete a video recording that showed the inmate’s injuries. The video also contained other evidence of the officer’s use of force against the inmate. During the investigation, Sturgis also made false statements to state and federal investigators.

Sturgis faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy to obstruct justice count and a maximum of five years for making false statements.  U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox scheduled sentencing for Thursday, April 9, 2026.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the FBI and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for its assistance.  U.S. Attorney Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Aubin, and Trial Attorney Anita Channapati, Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Criminal Section, who prosecuted the case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

# # #