Fort Dix corrections officer, 27, charged with inmate sex abuse

⚠️ A Fort Dix corrections officer is charged with sexually abusing a federal inmate.

➡️ Prosecutors say the two had a sexual relationship and exchanged explicit messages and photos.

🔴 The 27-year-old officer was released on bail after her first federal court appearance.

A 27-year-old Middlesex County woman who works as a federal corrections officer is accused of an illegal sexual relationship with a male inmate at the facility where she worked.

Jordan Pensak, a corrections officer at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix, was charged with one count of sexual abuse of an individual in federal custody.

Fort Dix is a low-security federal correctional institution in Burlington County.

Prosecutors detail alleged relationship with Fort Dix inmate

Pensak had a consensual sexual relationship with an inmate at Fort Dix going back to early last year, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said.

While the charge is connected to a specific sexual encounter on Jan. 8 of this year — investigators said the relationship began in January 2025, months after Pensak began working in the prison unit in spring 2024.

She and the inmate also exchanged multiple sexually explicit photographs and messages over social media and apps, using two contraband cell phones that the inmate had while in custody.

Pensak admitted to the sexual relationship with the inmate within text messages sent to multiple people, including some of his relatives.

In one such text message, Pensak raised concerns that she might be pregnant with the inmate’s child.

By May, federal investigators carried out a search warrant for an Instagram account used by Pensak, including its private messages and posts.

Fort Dix officer released on bail after court appearance

On Tuesday, Pensak made her initial appearance in federal District Court in Camden and was released on bail.

If convicted, Pensak faces a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

Frazer credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, with the investigations.

A request for comment from her defense attorney was not immediately answered on Wednesday.

Pensak's current employment status was also unclear.

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