Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Michael Williams and Rohail Khan Joined Brandon Montanari in Assaulting an Inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Michael Williams, age 39, of Bloomingburg, New York, and Rohail Khan, age 28, of Utica, New York, have been sentenced to 21 months and 24 months in federal prison, respectively, for depriving an inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility of his rights under color of law. Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
When Williams and Khan pled guilty, they admitted to assaulting an inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility in April 2023, along with fellow correction officer Brandon Montanari, age 34, of East Concord, New York. Montanari, Williams, and Khan punched and kicked the inmate without cause in a hallway in the middle of the night, and they later agreed with each other to lie about what happened to internal investigators. After the beating, the inmate was forced to reveal the nature of his underlying criminal conviction to his fellow inmates, and within 24 hours the inmate was hospitalized after an attack by another inmate.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “It is despicable, cowardly, and dangerous for a group of corrections officers to assault a defenseless inmate without cause and then lie about it. My office will continue to prosecute those who abuse their badges in this way.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli stated: “Mr. Williams and Mr. Khan violated the oath they swore to uphold as officers of the law. As they head to federal prison for their actions, the FBI remains committed to working with our partners to investigate and hold accountable any officer who abuses their position to deliberately cause harm to others.”
Montanari was previously sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment for his role in the assault.
FBI investigated the case with assistance from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael F. Perry and Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted the case.
###