9 Investigates: Prison officials accused in sexual harassment cover-up receive big bonuses

WILDWOOD, Fla. — For female workers at Coleman Federal Prison in Wildwood, and average day at work turned into a nightmare.

The workers said they were consistently groped by inmates and threatened with rape.

“They were being sexually harassed,” said union president Joe Rojas.

Rojas led the charge on a lawsuit that alleged prison management knew what was going on and swept it under the rug—even going as far to throw away incident reports.

“If that was in corporate America, (management) would have been fired,” said Rojas.

He’s referring to new information about top prison administrators receiving bonuses.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who chairs the congressional committee on oversight and government reform, wrote letters to the head of the Bureau of Prisons and the FBI.

The committee has launched an investigation after an inmate accused in the sexual misconduct at Coleman went unpunished, got our and raped a woman.

Chaffetz letter cites a 9 Investigates report from February as part of his push for the investigation.

Records show Bureau of Prisons top administrators across the country received $2 million in bonuses during the past three years.

Despite what was going on with the sexual harassment claims, $200,000 went to top managers at the prison.

Chaffetz specifically mentioned the warden, Tamyra Jarvis.

She received $34,500 during the past two years before she retired in January.

Channel 9 contacted the Bureau of Prisons for reaction to the investigation and to ask the reason behind the bonuses, but has not heard back.

Cox Media Group