Federal Inmate Indicted for Assaulting Another Inmate

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 45-year-old woman was indicted for allegedly strangling another inmate at the Federal Correctional Institute in Waseca, Minnesota. Felecia Thomas, who is now incarcerated at a federal medical center in Texas, was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon.

The indictment alleges that on June 10, 2011, Thomas, who was then serving time at the correctional facility in Waseca following a 2005 arson conviction, assaulted an inmate with a rope. The rope allegedly had been removed from a laundry bag.

If convicted of the current charge, Thomas faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Bureau of Prisons. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lola Velazquez-Aguilu.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.