A former work release inmate at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against a sheriff’s deputy criminally charged with engaging in sex acts with the woman while on duty.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Riverside, alleges Deputy Armando Espinoza coerced the plaintiff, identified as “Jane Doe,” into multiple sex acts in a guard station at the jail in June and July.
The lawsuit also alleges Espinoza had sexual relations with at least one other inmate, and he had that inmate shoot video of the plaintiff performing oral sex on him.
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“We know others were involved, but we have not been given consent to discuss their situation,” said the plaintiff’s attorney, Jennifer Badlow, on Wednesday.
Espinoza boasted to the plaintiff and the other inmate about his experiences as a swinger and his sexual encounters with black women. He showed the plaintiff the another inmate sexually explicit photos of women on his cell phone, including one believed to be a county employee. He also showed the plaintiff a video on his cell phone of a woman performing oral sex on him while he was in uniform, according to the lawsuit.
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Espinoza repeatedly told the plaintiff not to tell anyone what they did or discussed, and the woman never reported Espinoza out of fear of retaliation and no one believing her, according to the lawsuit.
Bandlow said she reported the alleged incidents, which occurred on or around June 9 and continued through July 19, to the District Attorney’s Office after the plaintiff retained her as her attorney. She said the plaintiff has completed her 60-day work release program at the jail, which was served on weekends.
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The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department received information of the alleged misconduct on Aug. 4, and on Aug. 6,
Espinoza, 45, was arrested and booked into the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino. He was subsequently charged with two felony and two misdemeanor counts of sexual activity with a confined consenting adult.
Espinoza, who could not be reached for comment, is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 28 in West Valley Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jodi Miller said the department has yet to be served with the lawsuit and therefore could not comment. She said the investigation did not reveal any additional victims.
Bandlow said her client’s actions were anything but consensual.
“Coerced consent is not consent,” Bandlow said. She said her client completed her sentence and no longer has to report to the jail.