Federal Inmate Convicted of Assaulting Correctional Officer

ABINGDON, VA—Following a two-day jury trial in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon, an inmate at the United States Penitentiary Lee County has been convicted of assaulting a correctional officer employed by the United States Bureau of Prisons.

Christopher Moore, 51, of Jonesville, Virginia, was indicted in May 2011 for assaulting a correctional officer at the United States Penitentiary Lee County located in Jonesville, Virginia.

Wednesday evening at approximately 6:00 p.m., a jury returned a guilty verdict convicting Moore of assaulting with physical contact an employee of the United States government during the course of the person’s performance of official duties.

“Those who work within correctional facilities put their lives on the line every day,” United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said today. “When one of them is assaulted, we will respond vigorously. Cases like this one help ensure that the United States Penitentiary in Lee County continues to be a safe environment for both inmates and staff.”

According to evidence presented at trial by Assistant United States Attorneys Kartic Padmanabhan and Zachary T. Lee, on December 3, 2009, Moore shoved, slapped the hands of, and kicked a correctional officer working in the Education Department of the penitentiary. As a result of the assault, the officer had to be transported to the emergency room for medical treatment of injuries to his right leg. The defendant faces a potential maximum sentence of up to eight years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $250,000.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the United States Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Office at the United States Penitentiary Lee County and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Kartic Padmanabhan and Zachary T. Lee are prosecuting the case for the United States.