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Former Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct

LANSING – Yesterday, former Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility Corrections Officer Joshua Lee, 22, of Wyandotte, pled guilty to one count of Second-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (State Prisoner), announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Lee engaged in multiple sexual acts with several prisoners while working at the prison.

“No one is above the law, and everyone deserves safety from sexual abuse,” said Attorney General Nessel. “My office is committed to prosecuting those who weaponize their authority to exploit the very people they are assigned to monitor and protect. Through the combined efforts of the Michigan Department of Corrections, the Michigan State Police, and prosecutors in my department, we have ensured that Mr. Lee will not only be held accountable but can no longer abuse his position.”

Lee was charged by the Department of Attorney General in November 2025 with four counts of Second-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (State Prisoner). This matter was referred to the Department of Attorney General by the Michigan State Police.

Michigan law currently criminalizes sexual contact by corrections officers, but there is no statute specifically addressing sexual penetration, which occurred in this case. As a result, officers are required to be charged under Second-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct for contact and penetration offenses in the same way. Attorney General Nessel hopes the Michigan Legislature updates the law so that First and Third-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct statutes explicitly cover sexual penetration by corrections staff to better protect inmates and reflect the seriousness of these crimes.

Lee is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. in front of Judge Arianne E. Slay in the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County.

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