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	Ex-Chaplain Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse of Female Inmates at Fort Worth Prison By Wendy Hundley Dallas Morning News November 14, 2007 http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/111507dnmetfwchaplain.1bc43fa.html FORT WORTH – A Roman Catholic priest who worked as a chaplain at a federal prison here pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually abusing two female inmates last year. Vincent Inametti, 48, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. He is scheduled for sentencing March 17 in U.S. district court in Fort Worth. Mr. Inametti, who is free on bail, declined to comment after he was pronounced guilty on two counts of sexual abuse of a ward in custody. His Fort Worth attorney, Michael Heiskell, said the sexual liaisons between Mr. Inametti and the two women were consensual, and he expressed hope for mercy from the court. "Unfortunately, it was the wrong place and the wrong time," Mr. Heiskell said. "We hope the court will judge him on the entire good work in his life as opposed to a lapse in judgment." But Tahira Khan Merritt, a Dallas attorney who represented one of the plaintiffs in the case, disputed the contention that the relationships were consensual. Mr. Inametti once threatened to kill her client if she told anyone about the abuse, she said, and the other plaintiff has filed a complaint with the federal prison system over the abuse. "He was in a supervisory role over them," Ms. Merritt said. "That implies they cannot consent to sexual acts when they're wards of the state." The two women, who are only identified by their initials in court documents, were serving time on drug charges at Federal Medical Center Carswell, a prison that also provides health services to female offenders. Mr. Inametti, who was ordained in 1986 in his native Nigeria, served as a parish priest at Our Mother of Mercy Church in Fort Worth from 1991 to 1996, said Pat Svacina, a spokesman for the Diocese of Fort Worth. After a sabbatical, Mr. Inametti returned to the diocese in 1999 and served in mission churches in the Ranger, Texas, area for about a year before he went to work for the prison system. No complaints were lodged against Mr. Inametti during his tenure with the diocese, Mr. Svacina said. Mr. Inametti worked as a chaplain at Carswell from Aug. 13, 2000, to Sept. 26, 2007. In March, the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General received a complaint that Mr. Inametti was sexually involved with an inmate – referred to in court documents as "D.D." She became acquainted with the priest when she began attending church services, joined the choir and became involved in Bible study classes, according to court documents. In February 2006, officials say, Mr. Inametti directed "D.D." to the prison chapel where he had sex with her. During their investigation, federal agents also learned that Mr. Inametti was sexually involved with another inmate, identified in documents as "E.R." She met Mr. Inametti when she worked as a clerk in the prison's Religious Services Department. In June or July 2006, Mr. Inametti summoned "E.R." to a classroom in the chapel and had sex with her, according to court papers. Ms. Merritt, who represented "E.R." in the criminal case, said it was difficult for these women to come forward because they feared retaliation. She said that the abuse has rocked the faith of her client. "His role as a chaplain was one of trust," Ms. Merritt said. "He was supposed to provide emotional and spiritual sanctuary for these women. He violated that trust." Contact: whundley@dallsnews.com
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