New Jersey

New Jersey Corrections Officer Had Sexual Contact With Inmate, Prosecutors Say

What to Know

  • Authorities say a corrections officer engaged in sexual activities with an inmate at a county jail in central New Jersey
  • Monmouth County prosecutors say Thomas Mauro is charged with official misconduct and criminal sexual contact
  • The 41-year-old Beachwood resident was allegedly seen meeting with the female inmate in a bathroom at the Monmouth County jail in Freehold

Authorities say a corrections officer engaged in sexual activities with an inmate at a county jail in central New Jersey.

Monmouth County prosecutors say Thomas Mauro is charged with official misconduct and criminal sexual contact.

The 41-year-old Beachwood resident was allegedly seen meeting up with the female inmate in a bathroom at the Monmouth County jail in Freehold Township on April 27. They say the pair then engaged in sexual activity.

Prosecutors say a subsequent investigation found Mauro had first met the 31-year-old Neptune City woman when she was incarcerated at the jail several years earlier. They eventually began a sexual relationship in 2013, when the woman wasn't an inmate, but the relationship ended later that year.

While the relationship ended years ago, Mauro is accused of engaging in the charged criminal activity while the woman was once again incarcerated.

“Law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold the law in every way. As a corrections officer, Mr. Mauro exercises supervisory powers over an inmate. The conduct, as alleged, is an exploitative abuse of an officer’s sworn authority and will not be tolerated. We will continue to hold every law enforcement officer to the highest standards with no distinction between their roles in the system,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said in a statement.

If convicted of official misconduct, Mauro faces a mandatory sentence of five years in a state prison without parole, a lifetime ban on public employment in New Jersey, and forfeiture of his benefits, prosecutors say. If convicted of criminal sexual contact, Mauro faces up to 18 months in state prison.

It wasn't known Thursday if Mauro has retained an attorney.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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