Former corrections officer is sentenced to prison. What did he do?
Jim WalshCAMDEN – A former corrections officer at a South Jersey prison has received a prison term in connection with physical assaults on inmates.
John Makos, who worked at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, was given a 30-month prison term and a $10,000 fine during a hearing in Camden federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey.
The 42-year-old Millville man previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to deprive inmates of their civil rights, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
More: Lawsuit alleges prison negligenceSicklerville man seeks more than $1 million in damages after prison attack
“This defendant allowed incarcerated persons under his care to be brutalized and abused his authority as a law enforcement officer.” said Philip Sellinger, the U.S. Attorney for the New Jersey district.
He called Makos’ sentence “another reminder that civil rights violations by law enforcement officials will not be tolerated.”
Indictment: Makos watched prisoner's beating
Makos and others at Bayside agreed to assault inmates “for actual and perceived violations of the prison’s rules and customs,” the statement alleged.
The attacks took place between "at least" April and December 2019 in areas of the prison’s kitchen that lacked surveillance cameras, it said.
According to an indictment, Makos looked on as prisoners pinned a victim to the floor and punched him about 25 times during an incident in December 2019.
He did not make required reports to supervisors or medical personnel, it said.
Makos was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Karen Williams, who also ordered him to spend three years on supervised release.
Makos currently faces civil allegations of battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotion distress in a lawsuit brought in state court by four former Bayside inmates.
A fifth inmate makes similar claims in a federal lawsuit.
An attorney for Makos declined to comment.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email him at jwalsh@cpsj.com.