Attorneys for two women alleging they were repeatedly raped by a former FMC Carswell employee are calling for an end to sexual abuse they say is rampant at throughout the Fort Worth prison and across the federal system.
The two lawsuits — the latest of which was filed Wednesday on behalf of a woman identified only as Jane Doe — allege former correctional recreation specialist Marerllis Nix raped and sexually abused the women.
The first suit was filed in December by former Carswell inmate April Lacey of El Paso, who says she was repeatedly raped by Nix.
FMC Carswell is a federal medical prison that houses incarcerated women with specialized medical and mental health needs.
Emery Nelson, a Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson, confirmed that Nix was no longer employed by the bureau in a statement issued Monday.
"The Federal Bureau of Prisons strongly condemns all forms of sexually abusive behavior and takes seriously our duty to protect the individuals entrusted in our custody," Nelson said. "All allegations are referred for administrative action or criminal prosecution."
The bureau declined to comment further on pending litigation. Attorney information for Nix was not available as of Monday afternoon.
The two suits are not the only instances of sexual abuse at Carswell. An investigation by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram found a pattern of abuse and cover-ups, among the worst of any facility across the U.S.
“We filed a second lawsuit, just a couple days ago on behalf of Jane Doe, not only just to get compensation for her injuries but, more importantly, to call awareness to this severe problem at the Carswell medical unit in Fort Worth,” said Randall Kallinen, a Houston-based civil rights attorney.
While incarcerated in 2021, Doe said Nix took her to areas of the prison without cameras, such as a supply closet, where he would rape her, according to a complaint filed with a federal judge in Fort Worth.
Nix resigned from the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 2021, according to court documents. Doe was released from Carswell in 2022.
Marci Marie Simmons with Lioness Justice, a Texas advocacy group for present and former incarcerated women, said for every reported sexual abuse case, there are several more that go unreported.
“When a woman incarcerated reports sexual misconduct by staff, they immediately separate her from population, so she's placed in solitary confinement,” Simmons said about why women don’t report sexual abuse. “Oftentimes that breaks communication that she might have with her family or children on the outside.”
Simmons said Lioness Justice plans to spread awareness about sexual abuse in federal prisons, including Carswell. She said Kallinen contacted the nonprofit to give insight into what Doe and others may have faced on a day-to-day basis during their incarceration.
She said when he contacted the organization about Doe’s case, it was not a surprise.
“It's very similar to what most of us have experienced,” Simmons said. “It's kind of a culture of coverup, 'I have my coworker’s back' kind of situation.”
While Nix is named in Doe’s lawsuit, Kallinen said others likely saw the suspicious behavior and should have reported it.
“What we're trying to do is to call attention to this. Because, of course, one way to discourage this kind of behavior is prompt and serious punishment for these kinds of activities,” he said. “But also, there needs to be policies put into place to prevent this.”
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