October 07, 2026
Fort Dix corrections officer Jordan Pensak, 27, pleads guilty to sexual abuse of inmate
Headline card by The Night Desk
CAMDEN, N.J. — A federal corrections officer who once texted that she looked forward to work because it meant seeing him has admitted everything.
Jordan Pensak, 27, of Middlesex County pleaded guilty in Camden federal court to one count of sexual abuse of an individual in federal custody, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced. Her sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2027.
Pensak worked as a corrections officer at the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in Burlington County, when she engaged in a sexual relationship with an inmate. According to prosecutors, the two had sex in January 2026 and exchanged sexually explicit photographs and messages over social media and electronic applications — communications made possible by the inmate's use of two contraband cellphones while in custody.
Federal law prohibits sexual relationships between correctional employees and people in federal custody, regardless of how the relationship is described.
The texts that sank her
Pensak admitted to the relationship in text messages sent to multiple people — including members of the inmate's family. In one conversation she expressed concern that she might be pregnant with the inmate's child.
Court documents from her July charging paint a picture of total compromise: investigators say Pensak and the inmate paid other prisoners to serve as lookouts during sexual encounters in a prison office, and that she even texted another inmate about the investigation into her conduct, insisting "they can't prove nothing" and theorizing that if she quit her job, the investigation might end.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine. The investigation was conducted by special agents of the FBI and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
Pensak was charged July 23, made her initial court appearance July 28 before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Pascal, and was released on bail. She's represented by defense attorney Mark Catanzaro of Mount Holly.
Source: MyCentralJersey.com
Source: MyCentralJersey.com — read the original report
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