Wilmington Man Charged With Covering Up Mistreatment Of Inmate

WILMINGTON, MA — A Wilmington man was arrested this morning and charged in federal court with obstructing an official proceeding and destroying and falsifying records in a federal investigation. The Massachusetts District U.S. Attorney's office says Lieutenant Joseph M. Lavorato, 51, attempted to cover up mistreatment of an inmate by Seth M. Bourget, 39, of Woodstock, Conn., at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Federal Medical Center in Devens, where they both work. Bourget, a senior correctional officer, was indicted on two counts of deprivation of civil rights.

Both were scheduled to appear in federal court at 2 p.m. Thursday. The Federal Medical Center is a prison that specializes in long-term care of male inmates.

“These corrections officers abused their authority and the public’s trust by allegedly injuring a vulnerable inmate and then attempting to cover it up,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling 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. Today’s charges reflect the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting official misconduct.”

According to the indictment, in June, 2019, Bourget "dropped his knee on an inmate's head while the inmate was handcuffed or restrained on the floor in the mental health housing unit, resulting in bodily injury to the inmate."

Prosecutors also say that Bourget hit the handcuffed inmate in a locked cell with a protective shield, injuring the inmate.

Lavorato is accused of obstructing the investigation into the Bureau's review of the incident. Prosecutors say he purposely failed "to timely and accurately report the nature and extent of inmate’s injuries and intentionally concealing the existence a video recording of the incident in an official report."

They also say Lavorato destroyed a video recording and falsely said in a report that the security camera's battery was dead at the time.

The maximum sentence for Lavorato's charge is 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Budget's charges have a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, two years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.