THOMSON, Illinois — A former inmate of the United States Penitentiary in Thomson was sentenced after being found guilty of assaulting a federal correctional officer, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Illinois.
Joseph Van Sach, 50, assaulted a correctional officer while they were on duty at USP Thomson on April 2, 2019. According to evidence presented at trial, Van Sach "made physical contact and inflicted bodily injury to the officer."
Van Sach was found guilty of the assault on March 15, 2022, after a seven-day jury trial in federal court in Rockford, Ill. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey handed down the sentence.
The union representing staff at USP Thomson have alleged multiple instances of physical and sexual attacks from inmates over the years.
On Tuesday, Feb. 14, high-security inmates were seen being moved out via buses, as a possible "mission change" has been discussed for the prison.