Michael Williams, 39, of Bloomingburg, New York, and Rohail Khan, 28, of Utica, New York, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in the assault of an inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility. Williams received a sentence of 21 months and Khan was sentenced to 24 months. The sentencing follows their guilty pleas for depriving an inmate of his rights under color of law.
According to court documents and statements made when they pled guilty, Williams and Khan admitted to assaulting an inmate in April 2023 along with another correction officer, Brandon Montanari. The officers punched and kicked the inmate without justification during a late-night incident in a facility hallway. They then agreed among themselves to provide false accounts about the event to internal investigators.
After the assault by the officers, the victim was compelled to disclose details about his conviction to other inmates. Within a day, he was hospitalized following an attack by another inmate.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III commented: “It is despicable, cowardly, and dangerous for a group of corrections officers to assault a defenseless inmate without cause and then lie about it. My office will continue to prosecute those who abuse their badges in this way.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “Mr. Williams and Mr. Khan violated the oath they swore to uphold as officers of the law. As they head to federal prison for their actions, the FBI remains committed to working with our partners to investigate and hold accountable any officer who abuses their position to deliberately cause harm to others.”
Brandon Montanari had previously been sentenced for his involvement in the incident; he received a sentence of 37 months in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with support from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael F. Perry and Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted the case.
