Former Deputy Jailer Sentenced to 48 Months for Violating the Civil Rights of an Inmate

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A former Shelby County Deputy Jailer, William Anthony Carey, 31, was sentenced Monday, to 48 months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge Gregory F. VanTatenhove, for violating the civil rights of an inmate in his custody.

According to Carey’s guilty plea agreement, Corey Lynn Hopper, 30, and another inmate were incarcerated together at the Shelby County Detention Center, in Shelbyville, Kentucky.  Carey, a Deputy Jailer at the time, told Hopper about a personal vendetta he had against the other inmate, and asked Hopper to “take care of” him. That night, while the inmate slept, Hopper and several others beat him, punching and kicking the inmate multiple times. The assault left the victim with severe facial fractures and missing teeth.

Hopper pleaded guilty to his role in the assault, in January 2020, pleading to aiding and abetting a person acting under color of law in willfully depriving an inmate of his right to be free from unreasonable force. Carey pleaded guilty to his role in the assault in March 2019.           

Hopper was sentenced on July 15, 2020, receiving 120 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. Upon his release, Carey will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for three years. Under federal law, both must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences.

“The duty of correctional officers is to uphold the law and protect the people within their care,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband, of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.  “These actions are not only illegal and morally wrong, they go against the oath this officer took when he entered the job.  This division will continue to work to protect the civil rights of all Americans, and vigorously prosecute those who violate them.”

“Excessive and unreasonable force perpetrated by, or directed by, a member of law enforcement is disgraceful and criminal,” said Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “It undermines what our system of justice stands for and it damages the integrity of law enforcement. We have a distinct responsibility to combat it with all the tools available to us.  Everyone is entitled to be free of this despicable conduct. I want to commend the FBI for their work in successfully investigating this case, bringing some sense of justice to the victim of this conduct.”

“Because corrections officers have a critical public safety responsibility, the FBI is committed to vigorously pursue civil rights and color of law violations. Through the Kentucky Public Corruption Civil Rights Task Force, FBI Louisville will continue to aggressively investigate any public official that abuses those they have been sworn to protect,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Brown, FBI Louisville Field Office.

Assistant Attorney General Dreiband; U.S. Attorney Duncan; and James Robert Brown, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly made the announcement.

The investigation was conducted by the Public Corruption/Civil Rights Task Force of the Louisville Field Division of the FBI. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hydee Hawkins and Trial Attorney Anita Channapati of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section.

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