Former Rensselaer County Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of Inmate

Sean Morrissey Admitted Rubbing Genitalia of Federal Inmate while she was in Rensselaer County Correctional Facility in September 2018

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Sean Morrissey, age 51, of Waterford, New York, pled guilty today to abusive sexual contact of a ward, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Morrissey pled guilty today before United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby in Syracuse. As part of the plea, Morrissey admitted that between September 7, 2018 and September 21, 2018, while he was a corrections officer at Rensselaer County Correctional Facility, he knowingly rubbed the genitalia of a female federal inmate, with the intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade, or arouse or gratify the sexual desire of a person.

Sentencing is scheduled before Judge Suddaby in Albany on February 23, 2023. Morrissey faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 1 year. A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark.