Bourget and Lavorato were arrested Thursday morning and were set to appear in Boston federal court Thursday afternoon.
Lavorato allegedly obstructed the investigation by “purposely failing to timely and accurately report the nature and extent of inmate’s injuries and intentionally concealing the existence of a video recording of the incident in an official report.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that Lavorato destroyed the video recording of the incident and then falsely stated in a report that the security camera was not working at the time due to a dead battery.
According to the indictment, back in June 2019, Bourget allegedly dropped his knee on an inmate’s head while the inmate was handcuffed and restrained on the floor in the mental health housing unit. Bourget also allegedly hit the handcuffed inmate with a protective shield with excessive force in a locked cell. The inmate was injured as a result of both alleged incidents.
As a result of a joint investigation by #FBI Boston & @JusticeOIG two correctional officers with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons at FMC Devens were arrested today & charged with injuring an inmate & then obstructing the investigation. https://t.co/Q1Agd1bNwo pic.twitter.com/JhLRb9j8t6
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) February 6, 2020
“These corrections officers abused their authority and the public’s trust by allegedly injuring a vulnerable inmate and then attempting to cover it up,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “This conduct is an affront to the law enforcement officers who serve honorably every day and fulfill their duties with fairness and integrity. Today’s charges reflect the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting official misconduct.”
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