Sexual assault victims of ex-Chowchilla prison guard confront him in Madera court
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- Gregory Rodriguez convicted of sexually assaulting against nine inmates from 2010–2022.
- Victims and their advocates delivered statements during emotional sentencing hearing.
- Judge will decide between whether on a possible 224-year sentence in August.
Nicole “Doe” — the last name a pseudonym used Monday in a Madera County courtroom — sat just feet away from the former prison guard convicted of sexually assaulting her when she was an inmate at the women’s prison in Chowchilla.
“You knew exactly what you were doing, taking advantage of your power,” she told her abuser. “You raped me when I was serving a life sentence as a juvenile.”
Nicole and another victim were in court confronting Gregory Rodriguez, 57, who was convicted in January of sexually assaulting nine female inmates at the Central California Women’s Facility between 2010 and 2022. Other victims who are still in prison had their statements read in court by advocates.
Rodriguez was found guilty of 64 counts of rape, sodomy and sexual battery. On Monday, the prosecution described the 27-year veteran of California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as using his position of trust and confidence to take advantage of vulnerable victims.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in August, when Judge Katherine Rigby will decide whether Rodriguez will receive the 224 years in prison recommended by a probation report. The defense is asking Rigby for a 56-year sentence.
Rodriguez’s friends and family were also allowed to speak Monday. Also overcome with emotion, they asked Rigby to sentence him mercifully.
“My dad is my best friend,” said his 20-year-old daughter, Briel Rodriguez. “You’re not only taking my father’s life with such an excessive sentencing, but mine as well.”
The former correctional officer’s conviction happened amid increasing scrutiny of the Chowchilla women’s prison, which last year came under a sexual abuse investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. In just the last few years, women have launched hundreds of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse, including rape, at the prison.
The lawsuits have alleged that a code of silence allowed employees to abuse incarcerated women, The Sacramento Bee previously reported. The state settled one separate civil lawsuit filed by six women against Rodriguez in 2023 for $3.7 million
“I chose to come here today to speak my truth and the truth of other women who suffered at your hands,” Nicole continued in her statement to Rodriguez. “The truth you, your lawyer and the CDCR tried to bury.”
Possible 224-year sentence for ex-prison guard
Rodriguez said he felt “empathy for the victims” as he sought leniency from the judge. He placed emphasis on his family’s support for him, describing it as a signal that he did not commit the crimes he has been convicted of.
Rodriguez also noted his daughter is dealing with serious health issues.
“You would never find me in this situation again,” he told the judge. “Give me a chance to assist my daughter as she continues to fight these diseases.”
Rodriguez’s family filled the courtroom benches behind him as he sat shackled and wearing a Madera County jail jumpsuit.
As other family members — including Rodriguez’s siblings — addressed the court, they described the former correctional officer as a loving, law abiding man.
But Eric Dutemple, the prosecuting attorney, said Monday’s hearing was “not to determine if the defendant is a good family member.”
“It’s clear the defendant was living a double-life,” Dutemple said. “This wasn’t a one-time colossal mistake he made. This is an individual who sexually assaulted nine different victims over the course of years.”
Roger Wilson, Rodriguez’s defense attorney, called the possible 224-year sentence “egregious,” and argued the judge has “great discretion” in her sentencing.
“The judge has to make her mind up on several factors when it comes to this sentencing,” he told The Bee after the hearing, “and I know it’s going to it’s complex for her.”
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
