In Oklahoma City, a federal inmate received a heavy additional sentence for a heinous crime committed within the incarceration system. Joseph Francis Butler, 35, of Illinois, was sentenced to an extra 360 months in federal prison after being convicted of aggravated sexual abuse at the Federal Transfer Center. The announcement from U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester highlighted the gravity of the offense and the extended consequences that follow such an act, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Butler was initially serving a 125-month sentence for possession of a firearm by a felon, but on June 4, 2023, he brutally assaulted another inmate. Holding a shank to the victim's neck and side, he committed sexual abuse, a crime that naturally drew severe punishment. According to a statement from Robert J. Troester, "Incarceration in a federal prison does not negate the protection of inmates from sexual or violent assaults by other inmates," as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
After a four-day trial ending on March 14, a jury found Butler guilty. The additional sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick will run consecutively to Butler's current term. Following his prison term, Butler will be under supervised release for ten years. Judge Wyrick, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The case was handled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Special Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Edgmon and Brandon Hale prosecuted it and secured the sentence. The FBI emphasizes the safety and rights of inmates, giving a strict sentence for crimes committed in prison, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
