Multiple San Diego women, including one who alleged she was sexually abused by the warden and at least three other staff members at an infamous Bay Area federal prison known to inmates and staff as “the rape club,” were among the 103 inmates and formerly imprisoned women who settled lawsuits with the federal government for nearly $116 million on Tuesday.
The lawsuits, filed separately against the U.S. Bureau of Prisons but handled jointly by a federal judge in Oakland, centered on widespread sexual abuse that occurred at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, which was shut down in April. Federal prosecutors have brought criminal charges against at least eight FCI Dublin employees since 2021. Seven of those defendants, including the prison’s former warden and former chaplain, have pleaded guilty or been convicted for their roles in the abuse.
“The sexual abuse was systemic and permeated all levels of the prison, from the warden to the chaplain to the doctor who was treating the women,” said San Diego attorney Jessica Pride, who represented at least one plaintiff and is on the leadership committee for the plaintiffs’ attorneys. “The federal government agreeing to pay $116 million is a historic moment … No prisoner should ever have to undergo such cruel and unusual punishment. Sexual abuse is not part of anyone’s sentence. I hope this inspires the government to create change and prison reform.”
Former San Diego businesswoman Gina Champion-Cain, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence for masterminding a $400 million Ponzi scheme, has alleged in court filings and other documents related to her attempts at an early release that she suffered repeated and “horrific” sexual abuse at FCI Dublin.
A woman who asked to be identified by her initials D.B. called FCI Dublin a “nightmare” that she still carries with her after her release. In court documents, she alleged that former warden Ray Garcia, who is now serving a prison term for his role in the rampant abuse, repeatedly sexually assaulted her over a two-year period. She alleged that at least three other correctional officers and staff members also abused her. The alleged abuse included forced sex acts, being made to dance in a bikini or participate in “twerking contests” and being leered at while she showered, according to documents provided by her attorney.
“Our bodies and minds weren’t ours anymore — there was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run,” D.B., who was sentenced to prison for a non-violent drug charge, told the Union-Tribune over the phone Tuesday. She added that she often contemplated suicide while being abused in prison but wanted to speak out now to encourage other victims of abuse to come forward.
“I came out feeling worthless,” D.B. said. “I came out worse than when I went in. They broke me, in so many ways.”
San Diego attorney Julia Yoo, who represented one of the plaintiffs, said the money from the settlement will be split on a case-by-case basis depending on the facts of each case. The Bureau of Prisons and lawyers for the plaintiffs said that a neutral, third-party process was used to determine individual settlement amounts.
The settlements approved Tuesday come about a week after the announced settlement of a separate class-action suit centered on FCI Dublin in which the Bureau of Prisons agreed to publicly acknowledge pervasive abuse and retaliation at the facility and open some of its other facilities to a court-appointed monitor.
The Bureau of Prisons acknowledged the settlements in a statement, saying it “strongly condemns all forms of sexually abusive behavior and takes seriously its duty to protect the individuals in our custody as well as maintain the safety of our employees and community.”
Last week, in settling the class-action lawsuit, the Bureau of Prisons and plaintiffs’ lawyers filed a proposed consent decree calling for a variety of reforms, including a monitor to scrutinize the treatment of nearly 500 ex-Dublin prisoners now housed at more than a dozen federal lockups across the U.S.
Also under that agreement, agency director Colette Peters promised to “issue a formal, public acknowledgement to victims of staff sexual abuse at FCI Dublin.”
The Bureau of Prisons temporarily closed the facility in April and announced last week that the low-security facility was being permanently shut down. In a statement, the Bureau of Prisons said the decision to permanently shutter FCI Dublin was not a result of the settlement.
Champion-Cain’s father, Dan Champion, told the Union-Tribune that his daughter was among the women involved in Tuesday’s settlements. While the Union-Tribune could not independently verify the claim, Champion said his daughter was the plaintiff identified by her partial initials in a 2023 lawsuit filed by a San Diego attorney that the Union-Tribune previously identified as likely being filed on behalf of Champion-Cain.
“She is among the people who have settled with monetary damages but it is not nearly enough to account for the psychological abuse that these women have suffered,” a tearful Champion said in a phone interview Tuesday. “I fully endorse incarceration for rehabilitation, but I am amazed and astounded by the fact that the criminal justice system did not provide any kind of rehabilitation but instead subjected my daughter to sexual and psychological abuses that will probably damage her for the rest of her life.”
He said he spoke to his daughter, who was transferred to an Illinois prison when FCI Dublin was closed in April, and she is aware of the settlement.
“Gina takes a very broad view on these things,” Champion said. “She doesn’t think of herself, but all the other women. That’s all she ever thinks about, the other women who have suffered this abuse. Her reaction was she’s so happy for the other women, some of whom have already been released. Of course, she also has some personal joy.”
Champion-Cain pleaded guilty in 2020 to federal charges of fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to a scheme in which she stole money that investors thought would go to high-interest loans for restaurants and bars. She currently has a petition pending before the U.S. Office of the Pardon Attorney for a commutation of her sentence.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
