West Virginia Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Against Inmates’ Rights

# West Virginia Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Against Inmates

Michael Pack, a former corrections officer at Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, pleaded guilty Monday to violating federal conspiracy statutes. Pack admitted to participating in a scheme with other correctional officers to use unreasonable force against inmates, including pretrial detainees, as punishment and retaliation for perceived misconduct.

According to his plea agreement, Pack and his co-conspirators would assault inmates in areas of the jail not covered by surveillance cameras to avoid detection and accountability. The officers also allegedly prepared false reports to conceal the incidents and failed to document inmate injuries sustained during use-of-force incidents.

Pack's guilty plea was entered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine upon sentencing scheduled for July 24, 2026. The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.