Former guard gets prison for punching inmate, false reports

ATLANTA – A former federal prison guard in Atlanta has been sentenced for using excessive force against an inmate and then trying to cover up the crime.

Court records show 44-year-old Gregory McLeod of East Point was sentenced Monday to serve a year and eight months in federal prison.

McLeod was a lieutenant and supervisor at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta. Federal prosecutors said in a news release that McLeod strip-searched an inmate in his office in front of three other guards. When the inmate complained the search was taking too long, prosecutors said, McLeod punched the inmate in the face.

When he pleaded guilty in November, McLeod admitted to using excessive force in violation of the inmate’s constitutional rights and obstructing the investigation by writing two false reports about the incident.