Correction Officer Accused of Sexually Assaulting Male Inmate

A Connecticut correction officer from Hartford Correctional Center is accused of sexually assaulting a male inmate and has been arrested.

State police began investigating 37-year-old Paul Rosenberg, of Litchfield, in September after an inmate reported that Rosenberg was behaving inappropriately.

The arrest warrant for Rosenberg said he grabbed an inmate’s genitals and buttocks and other correction officers knew what was going on, but did nothing to intervene and stop it.

Rosenberg worked in the photo imaging ID office and has been placed on administrative leave, according to the arrest warrant.

According to the warrant for his arrest, Rosenberg told one inmate to grab his genitals and sit on his lap.

Rosenberg is also accused of contacting the inmate’s girlfriend against the inmate’s wishes, leaving letters for the inmate and conducted all the strip searches on the man when he returned from court appearances, according to the arrest warrant.

The victim told authorities he felt Rosenberg was trying to groom him “into his gay lover,” and things had gotten “weird,” the arrest warrant states. He went on to say that Rosenberg brought in contraband for him, including deodorant, boxer shorts and chewing gum.

“DOC staff knew what was happening to me from the get go, some of them witnesses C/O Rosenberg’s behavior but never stopped it, they just covered it up,” the inmate’s statement to police said.

The inmate also said he saw Rosenberg and other correction officers play "elephant trunk," in which someone went behind another man and grabbed his testicles, pulling them from behind and causing pain.  

The victim told authorities he did not come forward with the allegations because he was afraid to lose his job at the prison and suffer retaliation from staff. He also said he thought what was going on was normal interaction between Department of Correction officers and inmates.

Rosenberg was arrested on Saturday and charged with three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault.

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