Framingham prison guard charged with raping inmate

A Massachusetts correctional officer was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of repeatedly sexually assaulting a female inmate at Framingham State Prison, authorities said.

Joao Gomes, 49, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was charged in Woburn Superior Court with four counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault and battery. The charges relate to several alleged incidents involving the MCI-Framingham inmate, the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Gomes is also charged with three counts of supplying articles to inmates of a reformatory for allegedly purchasing underwear for more than one inmate in the prison.

According to the public prosecutor's office, Gomes is being charged under a legal provision enacted as part of a 2020 police reform law that provides for charges of rape or indecent assault against police officers who have sexual intercourse with or indecently assault a person in their custody.

Gomes was arrested at his home in Rhode Island, prosecutors said. His appearance in Middlesex Superior Court has not yet been scheduled.