Convicted Prison Nurse Sentenced for Sexual Abuse of Female Inmates

In a shocking case that has rocked Oregon’s Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, former nurse Tony Klein has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing nine women. This sentence comes after Klein’s conviction in July. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the 39-year-old was also found guilty of lying under oath about his crimes. During his trial, 17 women testified about Klein’s inappropriate actions, which ranged from touching during medical appointments to forced oral sex and sexual intercourse while on orderly duty cleaning the prison infirmary. This case marks the largest prosecution of its kind by the Department of Justice, with a government official being accused of sexually assaulting victims by abusing their power, as reported by Oregon Live.

“While employed at Coffee Creek, the defendant was a sexual predator in a lab coat, with access to some of Oregon’s most powerless women,” stated federal prosecutors in court records. “He moved freely in a facility where his victims’ movements were constrained. He brazenly violated the law in the very place that his victims were being held accountable for their own crimes. And he acted with the certainty that even if any victim dared report his sexual misconduct, they would not be believed—because they were inmates and he was a member of the staff.” During the sentencing hearing, Klein, who plans to appeal, remained silent, only affirming his understanding of his right to speak when asked. (Read more Oregon stories.)