Prison Bosses BAITED Women for Sting

Person in orange jumpsuit sitting behind bars, head down.

California prison officials deliberately used vulnerable female inmates as rape bait in a sting operation, allowing repeated sexual assaults before intervening.

Story Highlights

Internal Affairs officers planned a 2017 sting that exposed two inmates to multiple assaults by guard Stephen Merrill.
One inmate, Jane Doe 3, received no warning about the operation, rendering her victimization entirely non-consensual.
Merrill pleaded no contest to a misleading charge and escaped prison time with a suspended sentence and probation.
Civil lawsuit filed in 2021 against state officials remains pending, exposing systemic failures in prisoner protections.
Part of broader pattern: over 130 women sued CDCR in 2023 for decades of abuse at two facilities.

Sting Operation Exposes Inmates to Assault

On October 30, 2017, at an unnamed California women’s prison, Internal Affairs Captain Joseph Spinney and Special Agent Michael Newman orchestrated a sting to catch guard Stephen Merrill abusing inmates. Jane Doe 2 reported Merrill’s prior harassment. Officials chose an unconventional tactic over standard investigation, equipping the cell with surveillance. Inmates faced threats if they refused participation, highlighting extreme power imbalances in state custody.

Safety Signal Ignored During Assaults

During the operation, Merrill sexually assaulted both women multiple times. Inmates used the prearranged signal—”Can we get some pizza?”—to halt the abuse, but investigators failed to intervene promptly. Jane Doe 3 later learned she was unwitting bait, compounding the betrayal. Both victims required psychiatric counseling for trauma from assaults and institutional failure. This sanctioned exposure violated basic protections for incarcerated individuals.

Lenient Plea Deal Shields Predator Guard

In July 2018, Merrill pleaded no contest to “sexual activity by a public employee with a consenting adult,” a charge ignoring that inmates cannot consent to guards. He received a two-year suspended sentence and three years probation, evading real incarceration. Civil rights attorney Jennifer A. Bandlow filed suit on April 29, 2021, for Jane Does 2 and 3 against Spinney, Newman, CDCR, and California, alleging failures in duty and oversight.

The lawsuit advances four causes of action, seeking accountability for knowingly endangering vulnerable women under state care. Power dynamics left inmates defenseless, unable to refuse or stop the assaults despite signals.

Systemic Abuse Pattern in California Prisons

This incident reflects decades-long sexual abuse by staff in CDCR facilities. In 2023, ACTS LAW sued on behalf of over 130 women at California Institution for Women in Chino and Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, alleging systemic predation (Case No. 23CV013894). Minimal consequences for perpetrators erode trust in safeguards meant to protect those in custody from government overreach.

Conservative principles demand limited government that upholds justice, not betrays the vulnerable. President Trump’s administration now has opportunity to reform such failures, prioritizing accountability over bureaucratic protectionism that shields abusers and endangers citizens.