SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Editor's note: The attached video first aired in 2023.
Marquet Johnson, a former private prisoner transport guard who repeatedly sexually abused female inmates in his care is scheduled to be sentenced this week in federal court in New Mexico.
He pleaded guilty in December to violating a female pretrial detainee’s civil rights by sexually assaulting her during a prisoner transport.
Johnson, 44, of West Memphis, Arkansas, additionally admitted to previously violating multiple other female pretrial detainees’ civil rights by sexually assaulting them during prisoner transports.
The FBI identified 15 victims.
KARE 11’s "Nowhere to Turn" investigation exposed how Johnson’s case, which includes allegations he raped a St. Paul woman during a transport from Dallas, Texas to Ramsey County, Minnesota is part of a nationwide failure to provide oversight of the private prisoner transport industry that has fueled a systemic pattern of rape and abuse.
Johnson came under investigation in 2019 when a woman who asked to be identified only by her initials, “T.P.”, was picked up at the Santa Fe jail to be transported on a warrant to Delta County, Colorado.
She was loaded into a white van that held three male detainees.
About an hour into T.P.’s transport, the van stopped in Albuquerque to drop off the three men, leaving her alone with the guards.
A few minutes later, around 5:50 a.m., the van stopped at a gas station with an attached Carl’s Jr. restaurant.
The other guard went inside to buy breakfast and that’s when Johnson ordered T.P. into the back row of the van and climbed in after her. He removed her ankle restraints and loosened her handcuffs, leaving her belly chain in place.
T.P. told the guard that she was unsure what was going on, but that she did not want “to do this.”
In response, Johnson pulled out a short black gun, and, while resting the gun on his lap, told T.P. that he wanted her to cooperate, “otherwise, it was going to get ugly.”
He then raped her while holding his gun against her cheek.
Afterward he ordered her to quickly pull up her pants, she was still doing so when the other guard came back with the breakfast burritos.
The other guard got in the driver’s seat and Johnson stayed in the back row with T.P.
When dropped off at the Delta County Colorado jail, T.P. told the booking officer about the attack and requested a rape kit.
DNA from that rape kit was matched to Johnson after federal investigators served a search warrant on him.
The FBI investigation would discover T.P. was far from being alone.
The FBI identified evidence and testimony indicating Johnson sexually assaulted at least 15 women while they were being transported on out-of-state warrants.
Six of those women said they were sexually assaulted after T.P. reported being raped by Johnson.
Danielle Sivels of St. Paul filed a federal lawsuit which claims Johnson repeatedly sexually assaulted her in rest stop bathrooms.
Sivels' attorneys, Paul Applebaum and Megan Curtis claim Ramsey County failed to do basic due diligence when they awarded Johnson’s employer, Inmate Services Corp (ISC), a contract to transport inmates.
KARE 11’s investigation exposed how ISC was operating illegally without a license in MN.
ISC’s owner, Randy Cagle, refused to respond to questions offering only profanity and threats during a phone call with KARE 11.
ISC appears to have gone out of business as lawsuits against the company mount.
As part of his plea deal, Johnson admitted to raping two other women in addition to T.P. and on April 16 in New Mexico, will be sentenced to 27 to 30 years behind bars.
In a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors asking Judge Kea Riggs to impose the full 30-year sentence, they wrote Johnson engaged in a pattern of practiced, continuous predatory behavior.
Other victims will be given the chance to testify or submit a written statement at Johnson’s sentencing.
The Minnesota House of Representatives voted unanimously last week to pass reform measures drafted by Representative Brad Tabke (DFL, Shakopee).
The reforms clearly mandate licensure and orders the Minnesota State Board of Private Detective and Protective Agent Services to revoke or refuse licenses to prisoner transport companies whose employees have committed sex crimes or used excessive force.
A vote is expected soon in the Minnesota Senate.
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