TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Tallahassee attorney Steven Andrews represents four Department of Corrections investigators who filed a whistle blower complaint about serious allegations in Florida prisons.
"It took a lot of courage for them to come forward, and they did," Andrews said.
They said they found instances of correctional officers having sex with inmates, trafficking in drugs, taking bribes and the most serious - the killing of an inmate.
"For people who are familiar with the system, not surprising," Andrews added.
DOC investigator Audrey Land said in a report he investigated a sex crime at Franklin Correctional Institution, which led him to finding out about a possible inmate death. He says Randall Jordan-Aparo, 27, died after being gassed by officers.
"My father was a circuit court judge in Pinellas County for 25 years. He's dead now, but I guarantee you he never would have sentenced a prisoner to DOC if he thought they were going to be treated like this," Andrews said.
During a meeting with the chief inspector general in the governor's office, Land said "I'm not going to hide. And, I'm going to tell the Jordan-Aparo story." But, he said he was not granted whistle blower protection and nothing was done about his allegations.
Just last month, the ACLU and other human rights groups spoke out about the death of a Dade Correctional inmate. They're calling on a federal investigation, saying Darren Rainey was killed in a hot scolding shower only controlled from the outside.
DOC Secretary Michael Crews sent a message out Tuesday saying that it will fully assist in a federal investigation and "If laws were broken by DOC officers or staff, those persons will be swiftly prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
No word on how long an investigation into these allegations will take.
