Two correctional officers accused of sexually abusing a teenager in their custody • New Jersey Monitor

Two high-ranking corrections officers were charged with sexual assault Tuesday after an 18-year-old woman held at a juvenile detention center told authorities that the men repeatedly sexually assaulted her in a bathroom, her room and other rooms.

Gary Nieves, 53, of Burlington, and William Young, 35, of Marlton, were charged with sexual assault, criminal sexual contact and official misconduct for alleged crimes at the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in Bordentown, Attorney General Matt Platkin announced in a statement press conference this afternoon at his office in Trenton. The men face up to ten years in prison for each sexual assault and official misconduct.

“The conduct we allege today has no place anywhere in New Jersey. Young people housed in youth institutions are extremely vulnerable. They deserve safety, care and respect,” Platkin said.

Platkin and J. Stephen Ferketic, head of the criminal justice division in Platkin's office, declined to provide details about when the alleged abuse began and how long it lasted. Employees of the Juvenile Justice Commission, which oversees the state's juvenile correctional facilities, were made aware of it on Aug. 14 and the victim subsequently confirmed it, according to Platkin's office.

Ferketic said the men took steps to hide their actions, with Nieves using a mop “as a prop” to attack the teenager while she was on bathroom cleaning duty. When he learned he was under investigation, Ferketic added, Nieves allegedly wrote a note to the victim telling her to tell investigators that he was like a father figure to her and had given her good advice. That got him charged with witness tampering.

“The allegations in today’s lawsuit represent a complete breach of the duties of these trusts,” Ferketic said.

Platkin urged anyone with information about this or any other abuse to report it to the state's criminal justice department.

He also directed the Juvenile Justice Commission to immediately report all allegations of criminal behavior to Ferketic's office.

The order was the latest of other changes Platkin has ordered to state law enforcement in recent weeks. Last month, he ordered sweeping changes to state police procedures after two reports documented deep-rooted racism and other problems there.

“We will closely examine the circumstances that enabled such behavior and ensure that something like this does not happen again,” Platkin said Tuesday.

It is unclear whether the officials already have lawyers. They are suspended without pay, a Platkin spokesman said.