Former federal prison lieutenant sentenced to 3 years for failing to help sick inmate who later died

A former high-ranking guard at a federal prison in Virginia has been sentenced to three years in prison for failing to help an inmate who suffered a medical emergency and later died, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.

Michael Anderson, 52, was a lieutenant at a medium-security prison in Petersburg. He was the second-highest ranking officer there during several hours when the inmate's health crisis took place in 2021.

The inmate, identified only as W.W., exhibited sudden symptoms that included incoherence and the inability to stand, according to court filings by federal prosecutors. He continuously fell inside his cell and later in a suicide-watch cell.