Former federal prisons chaplain pleads guilty to sexually abusing inmate

A former chaplain with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) on Wednesday pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of sexual assault and lying to federal agents, the Justice Department announced.

James Theodore Highhouse pleaded guilty to a total of five felonies relating to his work at the FCI-Dublin female prison in the Northern District of California. Highhouse worked for the BOP from May 2018 to February 2019 as a corrections worker and chaplain, according to prosecutors.

As chaplain, Highhouse’s duties included leading religious services and classes, offering spiritual guidance and interacting with inmates on issues of boundaries and self-worth in response to backgrounds of trauma, abuse and substance addiction, according to the Department of Justice.

Prosecutors said Highhouse met with inmates in groups and individually in his office. He was able to handcuff inmates, refer them for disciplinary action and write incident reports as part of the role.

Highhouse admitted as part of his guilty plea that he met individually with a female inmate seeking spiritual guidance in his office, where he sexually abused her multiple times, the Justice Department stated.

“Any law enforcement official who exploits their authority and position as a spiritual counselor, particularly by sexually abusing an inmate in their custody, must be held accountable for their actions,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke from the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department in response to the guilty verdict. “The Justice Department will not stand for abuse and misconduct by its own law enforcement officials, and we will take action wherever needed to hold perpetrators accountable under the law.”

Highhouse allegedly lied to federal agents about the sexual abuse allegations, the Justice Department said, citing interviews with representatives from the FBI and the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General in February 2019 and February 2020.

Highhouse had handwritten a statement in August 2019 where he admitted engaging in sexual acts with the victim, the department said.

“Highhouse held a position of great trust as a prison chaplain. He exploited this trust and sexually abused an inmate under his care, and then lied in an effort to cover up his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Zachary Shroyer of the department’s Office of the Inspector General Los Angeles Field Office. “The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General will continue to root out this kind of abuse and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Highhouse received boundaries training and sexual abuse and prevention training while employed by the BOP.

The sentencing for Highhouse’s case will occur July 6. He faces up to 39 years in prison.