A former West Virginia correctional officer was sentenced October 30 to two years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to violate inmates’ civil rights.

Michael Pack, 40, worked at Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia. He pleaded guilty March 30 to a conspiracy charge, according to the Justice Department’s sentencing announcement.

Abuse concealed from cameras

DOJ said court records show Pack admitted participating in a conspiracy involving unjustified force against inmates, including people awaiting trial. Officers moved detainees into areas outside surveillance-camera coverage to avoid recording their actions, prosecutors said.

The department described admissions involving assaults, a failure to intervene while another detainee was attacked and false reporting that concealed force and injuries.

A conviction, not a pending accusation

The sentencing follows Pack’s guilty plea. This is distinct from an arrest or indictment, which does not establish guilt.

The FBI’s Charleston resident agency investigated. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

The announcement concerns a West Virginia jail. It does not establish findings about any New York correctional facility.