CHOWCHILLA — A former correctional officer at one of California’s largest women’s prisons was sentenced to 224 years behind bars for sexually assaulting nine female inmates over more than a decade.
Gregory Rodriguez was sentenced Thursday at a Madera County courthouse after being convicted on more than 60 counts of sexual assault during his time working at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, ABC30 reported.
Last month, several of his nine victims recounted the abuse they suffered in prison. The women testified that Rodriguez used his position of authority to target them while they were in custody at the facility.
“He’s a monster,” one victim said during the court proceedings, according to reports from the sentencing hearing.
Two other victims spoke today before he was sentenced. The testimony painted a picture of systematic abuse by Rodriguez, who exploited his access to vulnerable women already serving time behind bars.
Prosecutors argued that Rodriguez’s actions represented a severe breach of trust and abuse of power. The case centered on allegations that he repeatedly assaulted inmates over an 11-year period while working at the facility.
During the trial, Rodriguez’s attorneys dismissed the women’s accounts as “stories.” However, the jury sided with the victims and found Rodriguez guilty on dozens of felony counts.
The 224-year prison term is the maximum sentence allowed in this case. The punishment ensures Rodriguez, 47, will spend the rest of his life in prison.
The Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla houses approximately 2,200 women and is the largest female correctional institution in California. Rodriguez retired from his position in Aug. 2022 after internal affairs investigators approached him about the allegations.
The case has prompted broader scrutiny of conditions at women’s correctional facilities across California, with nearly 500 sexual abuse lawsuits filed or pending against various state prisons.
Rodriguez’s conviction represents one of the most severe sentences for correctional officer misconduct in recent California history.
