Skip to main content
Press Release

Maury County Corrections Officer Convicted Of Obstruction Of Justice

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Tennessee

NASHVILLE – A Maury County, Tennessee corrections officer was convicted today by a federal jury of obstruction of justice, announced U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis.

James Justice, aka James Stewart Thomas, 32, of Columbia, Tenn., a corrections officer with the Maury County Sheriff’s Office, was indicted in May 2022 and charged with falsifying records relating to nonconsensual sexual contact that he had with a female inmate in his custody.

“Today’s verdict ensures that James Justice will be held accountable for his actions.  As importantly, it ensures that he will no longer be entrusted to serve as a law enforcement officer,” said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis.  “I commend our trial team and partners at the FBI for an excellent job of investigating and presenting this case to the jury.” 

Testimony and evidence produced at trial established that Justice wrote an official report in which he falsely claimed that he had reported to two Maury County Jail supervisors that an inmate had made sexual advances toward him while the inmate was in his custody at a hospital.  The report also falsely claimed that those two Maury County Jail supervisors both advised him not to write a report about the alleged sexual advances by the inmate, and the report omitted that he had a sexual relationship with the inmate after her release from the custody of the Maury County Jail.

Justice faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on September 18, 2023.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Klopf of the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case. 

# # # # #

Contact

David Boling

Public Affairs Officer

615-736-5956

david.boling2@usdoj.gov

Updated April 27, 2023

Topic
Civil Rights