OAKLAND, Calif. – Two more former officers at the now-closed FCI Dublin women’s prison pleaded guilty to sex crimes on Thursday, bringing the total number to 10 – the highest number of correctional officers charged with these types of crimes of any federal prison in the United States.
Sexual abuse
Jeffrey Wilson, 34, of Sacramento, a health technician and paramedic, and Lawrence Gacad, 33, of San Jose, a correctional officer with a master’s degree in organizational leadership, made their first court appearances before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers, where they entered their pleas, meaning they are now convicted.
The judge made both former correctional officers read their guilty pleas aloud. She also ordered Wilson to take off his medical mask, which he had worn to the hearing, before he addressed her.
Wilson pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual abuse of a ward between March and August 2022, and providing a false statement to the government.
Gacad pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact related to his alleged abuse of a woman identified as S.L., between February and June 14, 2022.
A total of 10 officers at FCI Dublin have been charged with sex crimes, the most of any prison in the United States.
Wilson appeared with public defender Tamara Crepet, and answered “I understand, your honor,” several times as he read aloud what he did.
Reading charges aloud
Wearing a black polo and black pants, Wilson described kissing and touching a woman named C.S. in 2022, urging her to come to the camp where he worked because “We’d have a little more fun.” He bought her a $60 prepaid credit card so she could buy things. He told her to be last in the medical line in prison where he gave her seizure medications so that they wouldn’t be detected when he digitally penetrated her or received oral sex from her.
C.S. sued Wilson as part of a massive lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons and, in December 2024, was awarded more than $1 million stemming from a $116-million payout to more than 100 survivors of sexual assault at the now-closed prison.
Gacad also read aloud his charges. He described kissing and touching the buttocks of a woman identified as S.L., writing her notes and then creating fake emails to communicate with her, sometimes sexually. S.L. showed her naked body to him during 9 p.m. rounds one night.
Gacad wore a light blue suit and was represented by Sierra Dugan of Oakland.
Both Wilson and Gacad are out of custody. Wilson is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6, and Gacad is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 19.
Neither guard seemed to have any friends or family in the courtroom. There were several FBI officers and other agents listening in on the hearing. No one talked to the media. Cameras are not allowed in the courtroom.
Both officers were able to leave the courtroom without being captured on film. Neither walked out the main exit door of Ronald Dellums Federal Building in Oakland.
KTVU interviewed, emailed and read the written testimony of more than three dozen women who are currently incarcerated at or released from custody from FCI Dublin about the sexual abuse and retaliation that occurs there.
Sex assault survivors speak out
Aja Jasmin and Darlene Baker are two women who were assaulted by Wilson, but who were not officially part of the criminal charges.
In Zoom interviews after the hearing, both said they were glad Wilson was held responsible and they were disgusted by what he did to them. They also each received about $1 million in the BOP sex assault settlement.
Jasmine said she felt “completely vulnerable” when Wilson assaulted her on her first day at FCI Dublin. She said she tried to report his behavior but was told by a supervisor not to go forward with her complaint because it would be a “black mark on my record.”
Jasmine said she knows C.S. personally and her “heat breaks” for her. She said she also knows of eight other women who were assaulted by Wilson, and like her, none of them were formal victims in the federal complaint.
Still, Jasmine said she’s glad Wilson pleaded guilty, but “I don’t know if he actually truly understands that what he did will reverberate in our lives and the lives of everyone in our communities forever.”
Baker said that Wilson “violently assaulted” her for a “very long time” when she was getting medical treatment for an autoimmune condition, but that someone interrupted them by knocking on the door, causing him to stop.
“I was surprised and disgusted,” she said. “There was nothing about tenderness or anything other than a power grab. And he did it to other women as well. It’s just an abuse of his position, particularly being a trusted medical officer.”
Powerless in Prison: The fallout of FCI Dublin
In April, the Bureau of Prisons abruptly shut down the troubled FCI Dublin. KTVU interviews dozens of women and explains what led up to the closure, questioning whether this was retaliation for outside oversight over the prison, which has been riddled with sex abuse for decades.
Remaining FCI Dublin officer cases
With these two guilty pleas, nine of the 10 correctional officers at the former FCI Dublin prison have been convicted of sex crimes.
The remaining officer, Darrell “Dirty Dick” Smith, continues to say he is innocent of the 15 counts of sexual abuse he is charged with.
In April, a jury deadlocked on whether he was guilty. A new trial is scheduled for Sept. 15.
Here is an accounting of the other officers who have been charged, convicted and sentenced.
