A former staffer at a Detroit-area residential reentry center has admitted to sexually abusing a woman who was under his authority, bringing a federal criminal case to a grim conclusion more than a year after the assault.
On Tuesday, 41-year-old Arthur Foster of Detroit pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a federal inmate who was in his custody at a residential reentry facility. Federal authorities say the assault happened on Feb. 5, 2025, while Foster was working at the Cherry Health Community Treatment Center.
What prosecutors say happened
According to ClickOnDetroit, investigators say Foster ordered the woman to meet him in a restroom, where he then sexually abused her when she arrived. The outlet reports the victim was under Foster’s authority at the time, and that he entered his guilty plea in federal court in Detroit.
Indictment and investigation
The Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General said Foster was arrested on Oct. 10, 2025, after a grand jury returned an indictment charging him with three counts of sexual abuse of a ward. The OIG’s Detroit Office opened the investigation and worked with the FBI, and the indictment alleges sexual acts on three separate occasions in January and February 2025.
Officials’ response
“Sexual abuse by anyone, especially someone entrusted with the custody and care of inmates, is an intolerable abuse of power,” Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, said in a statement reported by ClickOnDetroit. Her remarks highlight the FBI’s role in probing staff-on-inmate sexual misconduct alongside OIG investigators.
Policy and context
Federal law and Bureau of Prisons policy set a zero-tolerance standard for sexual contact between staff and people in federal custody, and the Prison Rape Elimination Act requires agencies to investigate and report such incidents. The BOP’s sexual-abuse prevention guidance stresses that there is never any such thing as consensual sex between staff and inmates.
What’s next
With his guilty plea entered, Foster now awaits sentencing by a federal judge in the coming months. Under federal law, sexual abuse of a ward can carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, per 18 U.S.C. § 2243.
