Federal inmate gets additional time behind bars for exposing himself to female prison staff

BRUNSWICK, Georgia: A federal inmate due for release from custody in July will instead spend two more years in prison for lewdly exposing himself to prison staff.

Stephen M. Patterson, 37, an inmate at Federal Correctional Institution Jesup, was sentenced to 24 months in prison after being found guilty on three counts of Public Indecency in a bench trial before U.S. Magistrate Judge Benjamin W. Cheesbro, said Margaret E. "Meg" Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. There is no parole in the federal system.

"Staff members at our federal institutions are there to safeguard inmates and the public and unfortunately are too often subjected to assault and abuse," said U.S. Attorney Heap. "This sentence demonstrates that we will not tolerate such loathsome behavior."

As described in court, Patterson was being held at FCI Jesup after a conviction in Kentucky on a federal charge of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. His criminal record, including the felonies which precluded him from legally possessing a firearm, consists of multiple convictions for assaults, drug distribution and domestic violence.

While at FCI Jesup in December 2023, April 2024, and May 2024, Patterson "unlawfully performed a lewd act by exposing his sexual organ and appearing in a state of partial nudity in a public place," exposing himself to three separate female prison staff members.

Magistrate Judge Cheesbro ordered Patterson's sentence to be served consecutively to his current sentence, which was set to end on July 3. Patterson also must serve three years of supervised release after completion of his sentence.

"This investigation emphasizes the Federal Bureau of Prisons' commitment to maintaining the safety and security of our facilities and holding individuals accountable for criminal activity, especially while housed at our BOP facility," said William K. Marshall III, Director for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. "BOP will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners to ensure that our federal prisons remain a safe and secure environment for both staff and inmates."

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Prisons and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey L. Scanlon and L. Alexander Hamner.