It took a while for investigators to track down the real identity of ‘Champagne.’
A retired corrections officer at New York’s Rikers Island Prison stands accused of raping and sexually assaulting 24 former female inmates, The Gothamist reports.
Champagne would allegedly force the young inmate to have intercourse and perform oral sex on him. Lisa then discovered she was pregnant by him but experienced a miscarriage in the prison bathroom. After being treated at a local hospital, she returned to Rikers, where no one questioned how she became pregnant in an all-women’s jail.
A thorough investigation of the lawsuits provided insight into who Champagne could be. After finding the surname of “Fant,” personnel records, payroll, and social media accounts, only one guard with that last name was found working at Rosie’s during the time of the allegations. Correction Officer Keith Fant was ID’d as the possible assailant. The officer confirmed that he was known as “Champagne” on prison grounds on account of his “bubbly personality.”
“The only thing I can think of is maybe they’re trying to get some money.”
“Unfortunately, this particular case is just one example of what was going on there. This was going on rampantly and openly. Guards really were in on it. They would look out for each other. Just an entire culture that allowed these women to be sexually abused and raped for a very long time.”
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Source: Black Enterprise
