Federal Inmate Gets More Time in Prison after Exposing Himself to Female Staff

Brunswick, GA – A federal inmate already serving nearly 20 years on weapons charges will serve more time behind bars after repeatedly exposing himself to female prison staff.

Bruce Ferguson, 55, was sentenced by the Honorable Magistrate Judge Benjamin W. Cheesbro to 11 additional months in prison consecutive to his current federal sentence of 225 months, said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. Ferguson was an inmate at Federal Correctional Institute Jesup, in Jesup, Ga., when he exposed himself to a female staff member.

During his time as a federal inmate, Ferguson has racked up at least 10 previous disciplinary incidents, which included seven prior incidents with similar conduct of exposing himself to female Federal Bureau of Prisons staff.

“The honorable employees at our correctional institutions work hard every day and deserve to see prosecuted those who would victimize them,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Ferguson apparently has failed to learn what most others in federal custody have: He isn’t going free until his time is up. There is no parole in the federal system, and as long as he continues to abuse the prison staff, he will continue to spend more time in their custody.”

Federal inmate abuse of female staff members has increased in recent years, with more than 850 cases of exposure in 2016, more than 1,000 in 2017 and already nearly 1,100 in the first 10 months of this year.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Marcela C. Mateo and Special Assistant United States Attorney Katelyn Semales prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.