A former federal prison guard has been charged with sexually abusing four inmates at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago.

Brittany Hall, 31, a correctional officer who was assigned to the women's unit on the 12th floor of the Metropolitan Correctional Center – which primarily houses inmates awaiting trial – has been indicted on three counts of abusive sexual contact and five counts of sexual abuse of a ward in custody.

According to the charges, Hall sexually abused four women being held at the facility in December of 2023, some of them multiple times.

Two of the women were in custody while awaiting trial on unspecified federal charges, while two others were serving sentences for unspecified convictions.

Under federal law, it is illegal for correctional officers to have sexual contact with inmates.

Hall resigned from the Bureau of Prisons in 2024, according to federal prosecutors. An arraignment hearing was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.  

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment specifically on Hall's case, but said the agency "strongly condemns all forms of sexually abusive behavior and takes seriously our duty to protect the individuals entrusted in our custody as well as to maintain the safety of correctional employees and the community."

"We have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse of any kind and every person has the right to be safe from sexual abuse," the spokesperson added.

If convicted, Hall faces up to 2 years in prison for the abusive sexual contact charges and up to 15 years in prison for the sexual abuse charges.