A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a Bureau of Prisons Corrections Officer with two counts of sexually abusing two female inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution in Aliceville, Alabama.

Specifically, the indictment alleges Robert D. Smith sexually abused two incarcerated persons – T.M. and R.-R-L. The indictment further alleges that Smith knowingly engaged in sexual acts with both persons who were, at the time, in official detention and under Smith’s custodial, supervisory, and disciplinary authority.

If convicted, Smith faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison on each charge, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey for the Northern District of Alabama and Trial Attorney Anna Gotfryd of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.