Former Oregon prison nurse charged with sexually assaulting a dozen women in custody
The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed an indictment that accuses a former Oregon Department of Corrections nurse of sexually assaulting a dozen women in custody at the state women's prison.
Tony Klein, 37, has been charged with 21 counts of depriving the victims of their constitutional right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment by sexually assaulting them at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Oregon said Monday.
The indictment alleges that in 2016 and 2017 Klein, of Clackamas County, committed various forms of sexual assault including aggravated sexual abuse and "some resulting in bodily injury," the Justice Department said.
Klein also faces charges of four counts of perjury related to a federal lawsuit over alleged sexual misconduct while he was a nurse at the facility, the attorney's office said.
During a court hearing Monday, Klein, through his attorney, pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
Last week, Oregon Public Broadcasting released an investigation that found at least 27 women accused Klein of inappropriate actions and sexual assault.
Prosecutors asked for his detention, but Klein was granted pretrial release.
Klein could face life in prison if convicted.
After he resigned from Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in 2018, Klein was hired by the nonprofit health system Legacy Health, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.
"Legacy Health cannot comment on an ongoing federal investigation," a spokesperson for Legacy said in a statement to OPR. "Mr. Klein is currently on leave."