By Thaddeus Miller
The Fresno Bee
FRESNO, Calif. — A correctional officer in Atwater faces 20 years in prison after assaulting an inmate and then lying about the attack, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Sandra Munagay, 44, of Atwater pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Fresno courtroom to obstructing justice during the investigation of her assault of an inmate on Nov. 2, 2023, inside U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
She was a senior correctional officer on the day in question when she punched an inmate only identified in court records as J.M. in the face, court records show. She then tried to hide it by writing in her report that the inmate was aggressive and she reacted to defend herself as she was “fearing for my life,” the records show.
Surveillance video inside the federal facility showed the inmate walked away from Munagay after the argument, and it was Munagay who pursued the inmate before punching him in the face.
He yelled obscenities at the guard after she had confiscated his hat, the court records say.
The former guard faced a year in prison over the assault, but faces a 20-year sentence for filing the falsified records, prosecutors said. Her attorney declined to comment on Tuesday, saying Munagay will have an opportunity to speak at her sentencing.
Her sentencing hearing is set for June 15.
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