Guards Found Liable in Brutal 2016 Mid-State Prison Raid, Judge Rules

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Marcy, NY — In a critical decision, a state Court of Claims judge has found the state of New York liable for a 2016 attack by more than 30 prison guards at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy. The guards stormed a dormitory, brutally assaulting 28 inmates in an act of misguided revenge for a suspected assault on a fellow officer—an incident that never occurred.

Judge Anthony Brindisi's 101-page ruling, delivered earlier this month, condemned the guards’ actions as “excessive and unreasonable” and held the state fully responsible. The decision marks a significant victory for the 28 inmates who sued the state, though a separate trial will determine the damages owed to them.

On the morning of July 6, 2016, at least 31 correctional officers conducted a coordinated assault on a dormitory. According to testimony, the guards indiscriminately kicked, punched, stomped, and humiliated inmates while destroying their personal belongings. Some inmates were stripped, doused with food items, and subjected to racial slurs and vulgar insults

Two inmates testified they were sodomized with unidentified objects, and another accused a guard of sexually taunting him by flicking his genitals. Witness accounts also described guards using fire extinguishers as weapons and throwing a chair so violently that its legs became embedded in a wall.

The guards reportedly justified their actions as retaliation for an incident three days earlier, when Officer Nicholas Kahl was found unconscious with a head wound. However, investigations revealed Kahl's injury was accidental-he had fallen, and it was the inmates who summoned help after his fall. By the time of the raid, inmates suspected of involvement in Kahls injury had already been relocated, leaving the dormitory's residents uninvolved.

The officers concealed their identities by removing or covering their name tags and were reportedly acting on orders from prison leadership. Sergeant Daniel O'Neil, identified as a key leader in the raid, faced harsh criticism in court for his behavior, which was described as "marked by utter disdain, arrogance, and condescension."

An internal investigation led to disciplinary action against several guards and the resignation of Mid-State's superintendent. A trial is now pending to determine financial compensation for the affected inmates.

Marcy Correctional Facility, located across from Mid-State Correctional Facility, is currently under investigation by the New York State Police and the State Attorney General's office following a December 9, 2024, incident involving what officials describe as a "use of force" encounter between staff and 43-year-old Robert L. Brooks. According to Commissioner Daniel Martuscello, Brooks was transported to Wynn Hospital in Utica, where he tragically passed away on December 10, 2024.