Former Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Jail Major Indicted for Assaulting an Inmate

PITTSBURGH - James Donis, 47, a former major at the Allegheny County, Penn., Jail, and a resident of Glenshaw, Penn., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on civil rights charges stemming from an April 2010 incident in which Donis allegedly punched an inmate in the face. The three-count indictment charges Donis with a felony civil rights violation, falsifying documents related to the incident and making false statements to an agent of the FBI. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the civil rights charge, a fine of $250,000, or both; a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the obstruction of justice charge, a fine of $250,000 or both; and a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the false statements charge, a fine of $250,000 or both. The FBI conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.