U.S. jail guard found guilty of repeatedly raping inmate

By Brendan Pierson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A guard at a federal jail in Brooklyn, New York, was found guilty on Friday of repeatedly raping an inmate over the course of five months, federal prosecutors announced.

Carlos Martinez, 48, was convicted by a jury of charges including deprivation of civil rights and aggravated sexual abuse following a two-week trial, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue in Brooklyn.

Martinez' lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prosecutors said Martinez repeatedly raped a female prisoner serving a sentence at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where he worked as a lieutenant, over a five month period beginning in December 2015. He was indicted in May 2017.

The prisoner, who was identified in court documents as "Jane Doe" and testified at the trial as "Maria," worked as a cleaner at the MDC and spoke little English, according to prosecutors.

Martinez first raped her when she was preparing to clean his office, and threatened her with solitary confinement and more prison time if she told anyone, prosecutors said.

He raped the inmate repeatedly over the following months, prosecutors said. The charges in the indictment described four separate sexual assaults.

"Martinez exploited the victim's fear of being punished with additional jail time and other disciplinary action, but his attempts to intimidate the victim into silence ultimately failed as evidenced by her brave testimony at the trial," Donoghue said in a statement.

Martinez faces life in prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Edward Korman, according to prosecutors. His sentencing date has not yet been set.

(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis)