RICHMOND, Va. -- The man who was second in command at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) at Petersburg was sentenced to three years in prison for "violating the civil rights of an inmate by showing deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs, resulting in the inmate’s death," according to the United States Attorney's Office.
Michael Anderson, 52, was a lieutenant at the prison and working on January 9 and 10, 2021, when the inmate, identified as 47-year-old W.W., fell ill and died.
"A correctional officer notified Anderson that [W.W.] was experiencing symptoms of an apparent medical emergency and asked the defendant to help W.W. obtain medical care. Anderson personally observed W.W.’s symptoms and stated that he would get medical help for W.W.," a U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson wrote in a statement. "The defendant nevertheless failed to notify medical staff, obtain a medical assessment, contact the facility’s on-call physician, or notify any other staff members of W.W.’s condition."
The next day, a correctional officer notified Anderson that W.W. had fallen in his cell.
"Even with this information, Anderson failed to obtain any assistance for W.W. whatsoever. W.W. then laid on the ground, dead or dying, for over an hour and a half before any correctional or medical staff entered his cell. By the time correctional and medical staff entered the cell, life-saving efforts failed, and W.W. was later pronounced dead," the statement continued.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber called the inmate's death "completely preventable."
“This inmate’s death was not the result of inadvertence or a lapse in judgment.” Aber said. “His death was the completely preventable result of the deliberate choices made by the defendant, who knew he had the constitutional duty to provide medical care. Inmates are entitled to basic human dignity.”
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