Vermont Corrections Officer Charged with Engaging in Sexual Conduct with Inmates

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated today that a grand jury has returned an indictment charging Tracy Holliman, of South Burlington, with four counts of engaging in sexual acts with women who were held in federal custody at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington. The grand jury charged that Holliman engaged in this conduct with two different women who were being held relating to federal charges between April and June 2013.

It is a federal felony for a correctional officer to engage in sexual acts with a federal inmate over whom the officer has custodial, supervisory, or disciplinary authority while working at a federal facility or one that that contracts with the United States to house federal detainees. Consent is not a legal defense to corrections staff who engage in sexual acts with inmates. The United States Attorney noted that this is due to several factors, including the inherent inequality between inmates and correctional staff.

Holliman is presumed innocent unless and until he is convicted after a trial or pleads guilty.

Following his arrest, Holliman was arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy and released on conditions.

Working in cooperation with the Vermont Department of Corrections, this matter was investigated by the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Vermont State Police.

Holliman is represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq., of Burlington.