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| Ex-Prison Exec Guilty in Sex Trial |
| By Rocky Mountain News |
| Published: 12/10/2002 |
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Christine Achenbach could be sentenced to do time in the same prison system where she was once an administrator after a federal jury found her guilty on December 6 of having sex with two convicts. After a weeklong trial and six hours of deliberation, a jury of seven men and five women found Achenbach guilty of sexual abuse of a ward, a misdemeanor. A former executive assistant and fourth in command at the maximum-security federal penitentiary in Florence, Achenbach faces up to 18 months in prison when she is sentenced Feb. 10. There is no minimum sentence and she could be sentenced to probation rather than time in prison. Achenbach glanced at her lawyer and then shook her head slowly as U.S. District Court Judge Marcia Krieger read the verdict. Achenbach and her lawyer, Tom Hammond, had no comment as they quickly left the courtroom. Prosecutors said the verdict was closely followed by people who work for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. 'It may seem like a small case, but it's really an important case for the integrity of the prison system . . . and for the people who work so hard within the system and obey the law,' said Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer. Achenbach and Kellee Kissinger, a former manager at the prison, were both accused of having sex with inmates. Kissinger pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 23. Achenbach was accused of performing oral sex on Ollie Perriman, a convicted cocaine dealer from Omaha, in an empty classroom. She also wrote love letters to Marvin Linnear, a convicted drug dealer from Milwaukee, according to court records. Hammond argued that his client was gathering intelligence from inmates that, in one instance, averted a riot. He contended the prosecution's case was built on lies by prison inmates who told investigators whatever they wanted to hear in exchange for transfer to a better place to serve out their sentences. 'It's not a complete lie. They mix in just enough truth to sell it to the government,' Hammond said. 'Well, these are tainted goods, ladies and gentlemen, and you don't have to buy it.' But Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Goldberg suggested to the jury that Achenbach tipped the inmates off to searches and the location of cameras. Achenbach, who later found work as a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman, remains free pending her sentencing. |
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