2 MA Corrections Officers Charged In Beating Of Handcuffed Inmate

DEVENS, MA — Two corrections officers at a Massachusetts prison were arrested after federal authorities said one of the men beat a handcuffed prisoner, while the other tried covering it up by destroying video evidence. Seth Bourget, 39, of Woodstock, Connecticut and Joseph Lavorato, 51, of Wilmington, were arrested and indicted Thursday.

Bourget was charged with two counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law. Lavorato was charged with obstruction of an official proceeding and destruction and falsification of records in a federal investigation.

In June 2019, Bourget, a corrections officer at the U.S. Bureau Prisons Federal Medical Center in Devens, dropped his knee on an inmate's head while the prisoner was handcuffed on the floor in the mental health housing unit, authorities said. Prosecutors also said Bourget struck the inmate with a protective shield using excessive force while the prisoner was in a locked cell. THe prisoner was injured during the beating.

Federal prosecutors said Lavorato obstructed federal investigators by destroying video recordings of the incident and lying by saying the batteries in the security camera were dead. Authorities also said Lavorato purposely failed to timely and accurately report the nature and extent of the inmate's injuries.

"These corrections officers abused their authority and the public’s trust by allegedly injuring a vulnerable inmate and then attempting to cover it up," U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in a statement. "This conduct is an affront to the law enforcement officers who serve honorably every day and fulfill their duties with fairness and integrity."

If convicted Bourget could face 10 years in prison on the deprivation of civil rights under color of law charges. The obstruction charge Lavorato is facing could potentially imprison him for 20 years.

Both are expected to be arraigned in Federal Court in Boston.