Former halfway house worker sentenced for assaulting federal inmate

ATLANTA - A former employee at an Atlanta federal halfway house was sentenced to 18 months in prison for sexually assaulting an inmate in his custody and lying to investigators, according to federal prosecutors. 

What we know:

Tristan Cox, 35, of Atlanta, received a sentence of one year and six months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

Cox pleaded guilty to violating an inmate's civil rights and making false statements to a federal agent.

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In April 2024, Cox worked as a contract residence monitor at the Atlanta Residential Reentry Center, a halfway house where federal inmates stay as they near the end of their prison sentences, prosecutors said.

According to court records, Cox sexually assaulted an inmate inside a supply room during an overnight shift. Federal law under the Prison Rape Elimination Act strictly prohibits sexual contact between corrections staff and individuals in custody.

When interviewed by Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General agents, Cox initially denied having any sexual contact with the inmate, prosecutors said. After agents informed him that FBI DNA testing corroborated the victim's account, Cox told investigators that the inmate had assaulted him.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released the name or age of the inmate who was assaulted.