A guard at Philadelphia’s Federal Detention Center has been charged with sexually assaulting a prisoner

A corrections officer at Philadelphia’s Federal Detention Center sexually abused a female prisoner last year, pinning the woman to the ground inside the jail and assaulting her, authorities said Thursday.

The details of the attack were unveiled in an indictment that charged Michael Jefferson, 42, of Cherry Hill, with crimes including aggravated sexual abuse and deprivation of rights.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Jefferson has been suspended from the Bureau of Prisons, though prosecutors did not say when that suspension began. No attorney for him was listed in court records.

According to the indictment, Jefferson was working as a guard on July 6, 2024, when he attacked a woman in his custody. He forced the woman to the ground and lay on top of her while sexually assaulting her, prosecutors said.

The victim — who was not named in the indictment — was injured during the attack, prosecutors said.

Jefferson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.

The detention center can house up to 950 prisoners, most of whom are either awaiting federal trial or serving short sentences after being convicted. Authorities said earlier this year that the facility would also start housing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees.

Last month, a criminal defense attorney and an inmate’s mother were charged with smuggling contraband into the facility at Seventh and Arch Streets.

And in 2023, a 31-year-old man died after being assaulted in his cell. His relatives have filed a lawsuit that remains pending.