A former officer for the New York Police Department who sodomized Abner Louima in 1997 has been released early from prison after serving 24 years of a 30-year sentence.
Justin Volpe, who pleaded guilty while on trial, was transferred on May 13 from a federal facility in Minnesota, and according to the New York Daily News, he is now in the Residential Reentry Management Program which places the formerly incarcerated into halfway houses or allows those still serving time to return home for the remainder of their sentence.
“For privacy, safety, and security reasons we do not discuss any individual inmate’s conditions of confinement, reasons for transfer, or specific release plans,” prison spokesperson Donald Murphy told the Daily News.
In 2021, while Volpe was serving time in a federal facility in Texas, he requested a compassionate release due to the COVID-19 Pandemic telling the judge he’d contracted the virus while incarcerated but received no medical attention. Volpe added mold was growing in the prison. However, federal prosecutors including Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes opposed the move, writing in response, the crimes Volpe committed are among the most horrific in the district and forever changed Louima.
Louima, a Haitian-American immigrant, was arrested the night of August 9, 1997, after he and two other men were involved in a fight between two women at a Brooklyn nightclub. Volpe and other officers responded to the scene and Volpe said Louima attacked him, which he later admitted was a lie.
Louima was charged with several crimes including resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and obstructing government administration. The officers beat him with police radios, nightsticks and their fists while transporting Louima back to the 70th precinct. After they arrived at the station, the officers strip-searched Louima and continued to beat him, culminating in Louima being sodomized and kicked in the testicles by Volpe, who later bragged to a sergeant.
Police later dropped Loumia off at Coney Island Hospital and said his injuries were due to abnormal homosexual activities. A nurse at the hospital notified Louima’s family and the NYPD internal affairs unit. Louima suffered severe internal damage to his colon and bladder in the attack and required three major surgeries to repair the damage.
Louima’s injuries led to significant protests by Black Americans in Brooklyn, including at the 70th Precinct. Volpe was later charged with violating Louima’s civil rights obstruction of justice and making false statements. Volpe initially pleaded “not guilty,” but changed his stance and pleaded guilty.
In addition to being sentenced to 30 years without the possibility of parole, he was sentenced to pay more than $270,000 in restitution. Louima filed a civil suit against the city, which was settled for $8.75 million.
RELATD CONTENT: VIDEO: Louisiana State Troopers’ Bodycam Footage Shows Police Brutality That Led to Black Man’s Death
