PITTSBURGH, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- A corrections officer at a Pennsylvania prison in Pittsburgh faces 92 criminal counts for allegedly sexually assault inmates, officials said Tuesday.
Harry Nicoletti, 60, of Coraopolis is accused of assaulting more than 20 inmates at the State Correctional Institution, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Tuesday. The charges, which also include official oppression, terroristic threats and simple assault, came after grand jury testimony by inmates and prison staff.
A federal lawsuit has been filed against eight corrections officers and the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. The lawsuit alleges a "common plan and conspiracy to sexually abuse, physically abuse and mentally abuse inmates who were homosexual."
"There is no truth to any of this whatsoever," Nicoletti said. "It makes me sick to my stomach that someone can make accusations like that. It's totally false, and there's eight [correctional officers] out on the street with no pay, no benefits."
Mike Manko, a spokesman for District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala, said the investigation has been ongoing for several months and more arrests are expected, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
