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Marcus Bias, 28, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law after being charged late last year for an alleged incident more than three years ago.
On Friday, the DOJ announced that he has been sentenced to 42 months in prison.
“Like any other law enforcement officer, the defendant had a duty to protect the constitutional rights of anyone who was in his care and custody,” US Attorney Matthew Graves said.
“(Bias) ignored that responsibility, when he assaulted and seriously injured an inmate who posed no threat. Such assaults are civil rights violations that will be prosecuted.”
According to court documents, while working as a corrections officer, Bias pushed a handcuffed pre-trial detainee's head into a metal doorframe while escorting him within the Department of Corrections on June 12, 2019, causing an injury.
Bias was holding the prisoner and pushed his head into the frame while his arms were handcuffed behind him as he suffered from the effects of pepper spray.
Prosecutors say that Bias was surrounded by five other officers and the prisoner suffered "significant injuries" which required outside emergency medical attention.
The former officer later falsely claimed in an official DOC report that "(The victim) 'pulled away' and 'fell' into the doorframe," a statement which was swiftly debunked by surveillance video of the incident.
"Disturbed by what they saw on the video and recognizing that that Bias used deadly force when no force was needed or permitted, DOC officials fired Bias and escorted him out of the facility," officials said.
"(Bias) is being held accountable for violently rammed an inmate’s head into a metal doorframe while the victim was handcuffed behind his back and posed no threat,” Assistant US Attorney Kristen General Clarke added.
The charges against Bias came slightly more than two months after another corrections officer found himself in trouble with the law for supplying drugs and contraband to inmates at the same DC facility.
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