NEW YORK — A New York City jail guard was convicted of a civil rights charge Wednesday after a jury concluded he ignored the pleas of a dying Rikers Island inmate who had swallowed a toxic soap ball.
Terrence Pendergrass, 50, shook his head repeatedly as the verdict was announced in Manhattan federal court after a one-week trial.
A jury deliberated less than a full day before concluding Pendergrass deprived Jason Echevarria of his civil rights while Echevarria, suffering from bipolar disorder, was in a solitary confinement cell for mentally ill inmates after suicide attempts.
Echevarria died in August 2012 after swallowing the detergent soap ball that he was given for cleanup after a sewage backup caused his and other cells to flood.
Authorities said two correction officers and a pharmacy technician became concerned after the inmate told them he'd swallowed the caustic cleaning agent, but Pendergrass ignored attempts by the officers to get help for Echevarria, who was held on a burglary charge. Left unattended for hours, Echevarria was discovered dead the following day.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams set sentencing for April 17, when Pendergrass could face up to 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement that the conviction and "systemic, institution-wide reforms" his office is pursuing should prevent similar deaths in the future.
"Our efforts to reform Rikers Island continue," Bharara said.
