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MCC Staff Akparanta Pled To Sex Abuse Of Prisoners Now Gets 40 Months Started April 23

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, video

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Dec 8– When Colin Akparanta was brought in shackles, accused of sexually abusing female prisoners under his control in the Metropolitan Correctional Center prison, into the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York's Magistrates Court on May 21, 2019 his wife had been waiting for him for hours. Inner City Press was there and has followed the case since, since this exclusive report. On December 8, Akparanta was sentenced to 40 months in prison, see below.

Back on February 21 the US Attorney's Office wrote to SDNY District Judge Lorna G. Schofield about a plea deal.  On March 4 Akparanta formally pleaded guilty, getting a deal of 37 to 46 months and undefined restitution to seven victims. But he was allowed to plead guilty regarding only one of the seven victims.

  Now on December 4, in advance of the repeatedly postponed sentencing set for December 8, victims' letters have been filed.

  One, from an inmate in the MCC from March 2018 to August 2019, says how Akparanta exposed himself, gave a yeast infection, leading to panic attacks, nightmares and cold sweats.

 On December 8 Judge Schofield held the sentencing of Akparanta. Inner City Press covered it, Tweeting in real time here. She cited his loss of his employment, after having won some awarded. She noted the government wanted 46 months, Probation said 37. She arrived at 40 months, apparently to begin on April 23. Judge Schofield asked, not ordered, that victim not be named. It's a request that Inner City Press is honoring.

   Back on May 21 the government argued for a curfew, saying that Akparanta is a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Nigeria to which he retains strong ties. He didn't try to flee when first questioned - but it seems he thought he was under investigation only for bringing contraband into the MCC for female prisoners, not for the sex acts he traded the contraband and control for.

 The unsealed indictment in USA v. Akparanta lists as his nicknames or aliases "Africa" and "Akon." (A commenter on Inner City Press' thread about the arraignment noted that the singer Akon is not, in fact, from Nigeria - but neither is Africa a country.)

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