Former Federal Prison Employee Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Two Inmates

ROCKFORD — A former employee of the Federal Correctional Institute in Thomson, Ill., has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for sexually abusing two inmates.

DANNY L. SPYKER, 42, a corrections officer who was working as a cook supervisor, knowingly engaged in sexual acts with two inmates, which is a federal crime. At the time of the abuse in March 2024, both victims were in official detention in the prison and under the custodial, supervisory, and disciplinary authority of prison employees, including Spyker.

A jury in U.S. District Court in Rockford earlier this year convicted Spyker of two counts of knowingly engaging in sexual acts with inmates.  On Monday, U.S. District Judge Sunil R. Harjani sentenced Spyker to three years and five months in federal prison. 

The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matt Loux, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Midwest Regional Office of the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General.

“Defendant’s criminal conduct was not the result of a one-time mistake or a momentary lapse of judgment,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Kim argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “He used his knowledge and position as a corrections officer/cook supervisor for his own sexual gratification.  When a correctional officer abuses his power and harms an inmate, it is not only a violation of federal law—it is a betrayal of the trust that the community places in our penal institutions.”

“Today’s sentencing shows the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ commitment to protecting the people in our custody and holding anyone who breaks the law accountable,” said William K. Marshall III, Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.  “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to keep every BOP facility safe, secure, and worthy of the public’s trust.”