In March, a federal lawsuit alleges, a Rikers Island correction officer raped a female prisoner on a bus, while another guard watched.

In the suit, the New York Daily News reports, the guards are identified by their last names: Figueroa and Pearson. The woman is identified as Jane Doe.

From the News:

Figueroa and Pearson had driven the woman and five male inmates from Brooklyn to Rikers that day.

Figueroa pushed her down on a seat in the back of the bus. She protested and begged Figueroa to wear a condom, but he refused, the lawsuit alleges.

Figueroa told the woman he “wanted to give Pearson a show.”

According to the New York Post, the suit states: “Doe considered screaming out but chose not to scream because she realized that any officers who might respond from the [prison] were apt to be male and Doe was frightened that they might assault her as well.”

Earlier this year, a class-action lawsuit alleged the existence of “a pervasive culture of rape” at Rikers Island.

After the Department of Correction deferred comment, a spokesman for the Law Department said, “We’ll review the specific claims when we receive the suit.”


Photo via AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.