Napa jury convicts former San Quentin correctional officer on child sex crimes involving family members

A former officer for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was convicted of child sex crimes in Napa involving three family members after an eight-day trial, prosecutors announced Thursday.

The jury found Richard Phillip Bardouski, a former prison guard at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, guilty of sexually assaulting the victims between 2010 and 2015 during his time as a corrections officer, according to a press release from the Napa County District Attorney's Office.

Bardouski was convicted of three felony counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10; three felony counts of sexual penetration with a child under 10; four felony counts of lewd or lascivious act upon a child 14 years old or under; and one felony count of lewd or lascivious act upon a child 14 or 15 years old. Jurors also found true special allegations against Bardouski including that multiple victims were involved and that his acts involved substantial sexual conduct. 

Bardouski was also found to have used his position of trust to assault his victims; that his victims were particularly vulnerable; and that he demonstrated violence, cruelty, viciousness or callousness in the commission of his crimes, the DA's Office said.

In 2023, two of the victims reported that between the ages of four and nine, Bardouski repeatedly sexually assaulted them in his Napa home. During the investigation, police detectives learned that the third family member was assaulted by Bardouski around 2010 when she was 14, according to prosecutors. 

The 65-year-old Bardouski moved to Montgomery, Alabama after his retirement from CDCR in 2023. Napa tracked him to Alabama and detectives took him into custody with the help of local police, extraditing him back to California in 2024.

"This case was particularly troubling due to the defendant's long career as a correctional officer," said Deputy District Attorney Shashawnya Worley said in a prepared statement. "We hope the verdict provides the victims with a sense of justice and reminds them that their voices were heard, their courage mattered, and the community stands with them."  

Bardouski was scheduled to be sentenced on August 7. He faces life in prison, starting with an 8-year fixed sentence followed by a minimum of 165 years.