A senior correctional officer at the federal prison in Lexington has agreed to plead guilty to beating an inmate inside his cell and then writing a false report to cover it up, according to a plea agreement filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Ryan Carnahan, who worked as a senior officer speciali st at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, admitted that on June 28, 2025, he opened the door of a locked cell in the prison’s Special Housing Unit, walked in with two other officers and repeatedly slapped an inmate in the face before punching him. The inmate, identified in the filing only as Inmate A, had not been handcuffed. Carnahan then told a lieutenant — and later wrote in an official report — that the inmate had slipped his handcuffs and attacked him first, the plea agreement says. He has admitted those claims were false. U.S. District Judge Karen K. Caldwell is scheduled to sentence Carnahan on Aug. 20 at 11:30 a.m. in Lexington. As part of the agreement, Carnahan has agreed never again to seek work as a police officer, jailer, correctional officer, military police officer or deputy sheriff, and to file a sworn statement to that effect with the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council and the federal Bureau of Prisons. What happened in the cell According to the agreed factual basis in the plea, Carnahan and two other senior officer specialists — identified in the document only as Officer A and Officer B — were on duty in the Special Housing Unit, a restrictive area where inmates are held in locked cells. Carnahan got into a verbal argument with Inmate A, who was behind a locked door, and called the other two officers to the cell. He asked for Officer A’s handcuffs, then ordered the inmate to submit to being cuffed. The inmate refused. Carnahan slid the handcuffs through the food tray slot of the cell door, dropped them on the floor and opened the door anyway, the plea says. All three officers walked into the cell even though neither the inmate nor his cellmate, identified as Inmate B, was restrained. “There were no exigent circumstances that required the officers to enter the cell without the inmates being cuffed,” the filing states. Once inside, Carnahan began slapping the inmate in the face. The inmate hit him back. Carnahan then grabbed the inmate and punched him, causing pain, before the inmate was taken to the floor and handcuffed, according to the agreement. The cover story Immediately after the incident, a lieutenant asked Carnahan what had happened. He told her the inmate had slipped his handcuffs, the plea says. He then put the same account in writing, claiming in an official report that both inmates had been handcuffed before officers entered the cell and that he was searching the cell when the inmate slipped free and assaulted him. Carnahan admitted in the plea agreement that he wrote those statements knowing they were false, and that he did so to obstruct the investigation into the assault — a matter under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General. Charges and possible penalties Carnahan agreed to plead guilty to two federal felonies: falsification of records and deprivation of rights under color of law. The records charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. The civil rights charge carries up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. The plea agreement does not set a specific sentence. The two counts will be grouped together under federal sentencing guidelines, with the civil rights count getting a six-level increase because Carnahan was acting under color of law as a federal officer. He is also expected to receive a reduction for accepting responsibility. The final sentence will be set by Judge Caldwell. Carnahan also waived his right to appeal the conviction or guilty plea, except for claims that his attorney provided ineffective assistance. Barred from law enforcement In an unusual provision, the plea agreement requires Carnahan to permanently leave law enforcement. He must submit sworn affidavits within one week of the agreement being accepted to both the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council and the Bureau of Prisons promising not to seek or accept any future job as a police officer, jailer, correctional officer, military police officer or deputy sheriff. He must authorize the Bureau of Prisons to release that affidavit to any prospective law enforcement employer who asks for his file. If he takes a law enforcement job anyway, prosecutors can void the deal and bring additional charges — including charges that would otherwise be barred by double jeopardy, the agreement says. In court The case was filed Tuesday as an information — a charging document used when a defendant has agreed to plead guilty without going to a grand jury — in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky in Lexington. Sentencing is set for Aug. 20 at 11:30 a.m. before Caldwell. The agreement was signed by Carnahan on April 9 and by his attorney, Paul Croley, the same day. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield signed for the government on May 5. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason D. Parman is listed as the prosecuting authority. Prosecutors said they will recommend Carnahan be released on conditions pending sentencing as long as he complies with the court’s orders. The Federal Medical Center in Lexington, off Leestown Road, is an administrative-security federal prison that houses male inmates with significant medical or mental health needs, along with a satellite minimum-security camp. This article is based on a signed plea agreement and the charging information filed in federal court. Sentencing has not yet occurred, and the guidelines calculations described above are recommendations to the court, not the final sentence. This article was drafted with AI assistance (claude-opus-4-7) and finalized for publication by The Lexington Times. Reporting is grounded in the signed plea agreement and accompanying information filed in U.S. v. Ryan Carnahan in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (Lexington). All quoted material is taken directly from the filing. Identifying details for the inmate (Inmate A) and the two other officers present (Officer A, Officer B) are redacted in the source document and are reproduced here in the same form. Sentencing has not yet occurred; any guideline calculations described are recommendations to the court, not the final sentence. The post FMC Lexington correctional officer pleads guilty to assaulting inmate, falsifying report appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less