Monmouth Corrections Officer Charged After Sex With Inmate: MCPO

FREEHOLD, NJ — A Monmouth County corrections officer is facing official misconduct charges after he allegedly had sex with a female inmate in a bathroom at the county jail reserved for corrections officers, the Monmouth County prosecutor's office announced.

Thomas J. Mauro, 41, of Beachwood, is charged with second-degree official misconduct and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced Wednesday. Mauro was scheduled for a first appearance in court on Wednesday afternoon.

"Law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold the law in every way. As a corrections officer, Mr. Mauro exercises supervisory powers over an inmate. The conduct, as alleged, is an exploitative abuse of an officer’s sworn authority and will not be tolerated," Gramiccioni said. "We will continue to hold every law enforcement officer to the highest standards with no distinction between their roles in the system."

The incident happened in April, the prosecutor's office said. The inmate, a 31-year-old woman from Neptune City, was seen going into a bathroom at the Monmouth County Correctional Institute that is reserved for jail staff. Moments later, Mauro followed her into the same bathroom. While in the bathroom, Mauro engaged in various forms of sexual contact with the inmate before they each exited the bathroom separately, prosecutors said.

The investigation revealed that Mauro and the woman met when she was an inmate previously at the jail. In 2013, while she was not an inmate, the two began a sexual relationship that ended later in 2013, the prosecutor's office said.

Mauro is accused of engaging in the criminal activity on April 27, 2019 while the woman was once again incarcerated at MCCI, Gramiccioni said.

"These type of acts will not be tolerated at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, and, if the allegations are found to be true, the officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said. "The safety of the inmates at the correctional facility is of the utmost importance. Any member of law enforcement found guilty of violating the oath they swore to uphold, will be held accountable."

An official misconduct conviction would carry a mandatory 5-year prison sentence with no parole, along with a lifetime ban on public employment in New Jersey and he would forfeit his benefits. The criminal sexual contact charge carries a potential sentence of 18 months in prison.

Citizens may report concerns via the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Corruption Tip Line – 855-7-UNJUST (855-786-5878); or by email at corruption@mcponj.org; write
"Corruption/Misconduct Tip" in the subject line.

The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Falco, Director of the Office’s Professional Responsibilities and Bias Crime Unit.

Note: This article has been updated to note the sexual relationship between the officer and the inmate outside of jail started and ended in 2013, based on updated information provided by the Monmouth County prosecutor's office.

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