Warden Ousted From Federal Women’s Prison Plagued by Sex Abuse

The warden of a federal women’s prison in Northern California that has long been plagued by rampant sexual abuse was ousted from his job after a raid on the facility by F.B.I. agents.

The federal government said in a court filing on Monday that it had removed the acting warden, Arthur Dulgov, as well as the associate warden and two other top leaders at the Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons said it had installed new leaders to overhaul the facility in Dublin, Calif., about 40 miles east of San Francisco.

The scandal has resulted in an avalanche of litigation and allegations that sexual abuse has continued despite past leadership shake-ups. A spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons, in a statement, said the firings and the appointments of new leaders were meant to “create a positive change in culture” at the minimum-security prison. Nancy T. McKinney, a longtime Bureau of Prisons official, was installed as the deputy warden.

The changes came hours after F.B.I. agents raided the prison, carried away documents and computers, and sought to interview prison employees, according to The Associated Press. The raid followed allegations that Mr. Dulgov had retaliated against an inmate who had testified in recent court proceedings and arranged for her transfer to another prison in violation of a court order.

The prison, which inmates and correctional officers have referred to as the “rape club,” according to past filings, has drawn the scrutiny of federal lawmakers. The Senate Judiciary Committee has investigated the Bureau of Prisons broadly, and the situation in Dublin specifically.

The inquiry in the Senate followed an investigation of the prison by The Associated Press in 2022 that drew on internal documents, interviews and recordings made by inmates and found “a permissive and toxic culture at the Bay Area lockup, enabling years of sexual misconduct by predatory employees and cover-ups that have largely kept the abuse out of the public eye.”

Since the report, the problems and crimes inside the prison have drawn widespread attention, resulting in criminal charges and convictions. Among those now in prison for abusing inmates is Ray Garcia, a former warden, who was sentenced last year to 70 months in prison for sexual abuse.

“Rather than ensuring that female inmates at the Dublin prison were safe and secure, Garcia used his position as warden to sexually abuse three inmates over multiple years, intimidated inmates and lied to cover up his crimes,” Michael E. Horowitz, the Department of Justice inspector general, said in a statement after the sentencing.

Last week, a coalition of civil rights groups filed new lawsuits on behalf of a dozen inmates at the Dublin prison.

The new allegations add to others that have been made over years. One plaintiff, a Native American woman identified by her initials, F.S., said that she was raped one to three times per week by a correctional officer, and was sometimes held down by two other officers while she was being attacked.

“These officers made hateful comments, including saying that Native Americans are ‘worth nothing but drinking alcohol and going to prison,’” according to a complaint.

Other plaintiffs were harassed over their immigration status, according to the complaints. One woman who was undocumented was told that she would be deported if she did not engage in sex acts with a correctional officer, according to the complaints. Others, according to the new complaints, were compelled to perform sexual acts in front of officers and have sex with other inmates.

“This horrific abuse is continuing to happen right here in the Bay Area even during and after officers have been convicted,” Emily Shapiro, a member of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, which has filed lawsuits on behalf of inmates, said in a statement.

Jack Begg contributed research.