An Oregon man who sexually assaulted female inmates while he was working as a nurse at a correctional facility was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison, federal prosecutors said.
Tony Klein, 39, committed the assaults at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, which is Oregon’s only state prison for women, from 2010 to 2017, officials have said. He began abusing women around 2012, according to prosecutors.
He was found guilty in July after having previously been indicted on charges of depriving the victims of their constitutional right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment.
Natalie Wight, the U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon, praised “the courage and resolve” of his victims in a statement.
She said the sentence “sends a clear message that using a position of authority to prey on individuals in custody will never be tolerated by the Department of Justice.”
Klein made up reasons to get some women alone, the U.S. attorney’s office said. He assaulted others during or around the time of medical appointments, it said.
"The defendant preyed on his victims, knowing that they would not dare report his crimes, because they would not be believed," prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
Prosecutors had asked for a 41-year sentence.
Seventeen women testified against Klein at trial. Some said he forced them to have sex, while others said they believed they could face discipline if they refused his advances, The Associated Press reported when he was convicted.
A jury found Klein guilty on 17 counts of depriving his victims of their constitutional rights and four counts of perjury.
Klein's defense team said that Klein was wrongfully convicted.
"We continue to believe Tony Klein is an innocent man," attorneys Matthew McHenry and Amanda Thibeault said in a statement. They said Klein has consistently denied committing the offenses and has passed two polygraph examinations.
"We look forward to the opportunity to appeal Mr. Klein’s convictions and are privileged to continue to support him and his family throughout that process," they said.
