PORTLAND, Ore. — A former nurse with the Oregon Department of Corrections was found guilty in federal court of sexually assaulting nine inmates during his time at a women's prison in Wilsonville, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon.
Tony Daniel Klein, 38, was convicted Tuesday on 17 counts of depriving his victims of their constitutional right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment by sexual assault and four counts of perjury, both federal charges.
Klein worked as a nurse at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility from 2010 until January 2018, federal prosecutors said. During that time, Klein interacted with female inmates who came in for medical treatment or worked as orderlies in the prison's medical unit.
Because of his access and authority as a corrections employee, prosecutors said that Klein was able to sexually assault or engage in "non-consensual sexual conduct" with a number of women under his care.
"By virtue of his position as a medical provider, Klein was often alone with his victims and assaulted many before, during, or after medical treatment," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "For women who worked in the medical unit, Klein manufactured reasons to get them alone in secluded areas such as medical rooms, janitor’s closets, or behind privacy curtains. Klein made it clear to his victims that he was in a position of power over them, and they would not be believed if they tried reporting his abuse."
For a long time, most of Klein's victims endured his unwanted advances and assaults out of fear that they'd be punished if they fought back or reported what was happening.
It wasn't until early 2019 that allegations against Klein became public. One of the victims filed a federal lawsuit against Oregon DOC that named Klein while pointing to a culture of abuse at the institution.
By that point, Klein had moved on from Coffee Creek and was working for Legacy Health in Portland. He wasn't charged until March of 2022. Legacy fired him at that time, saying that he'd been on leave since September 2021.
Following his conviction on Tuesday, Klein was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service ahead of his sentencing, set for October 17. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
"His heinous actions were only brought to light by a small group of courageous women who came forward, even despite their precarious circumstances of being incarcerated. Their willingness to report their victimization undoubtedly saved others from Mr. Klein’s predatory actions,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office.
