Jordan Pensak, a 27-year-old corrections officer from Middlesex County, was charged with one count of sexual abuse of an individual in federal custody after prosecutors said she had a sexual relationship with an inmate at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix. She was released on bail after her first court appearance on July 28.
The criminal complaint filed by U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer says the allegations go beyond a private relationship. Pensak and the inmate, who was in federal custody, are said to have exchanged sexually explicit images and messages through social media and other electronic applications, while he used two contraband cell phones to reach her. Prosecutors also say the relationship included sexual intercourse in January 2026, a detail that matters because federal law gives no defense of consent in cases like this.
That legal point sits at the center of the case. Pensak is described in the complaint as having had a consensual sexual relationship with the inmate, but the charge is still sexual abuse of an individual in federal custody. She is accused of later admitting the affair in text messages sent to several people, including family members of the inmate, and of saying in one message that she was concerned about a possible pregnancy with his child. The complaint does not say whether she was actually pregnant.
Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix is a low-security prison in Burlington County, and the case puts a spotlight on how a staff member inside that setting is alleged to have communicated with someone in custody outside normal channels. Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy of the FBI and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Edminston of the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McFarlane of the Special Prosecutions Division is prosecuting it.
Pensak faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison if found guilty, but the filing remains an accusation and she is presumed innocent unless proved guilty. The case now moves forward from the July 28 hearing, with the unresolved question not whether the complaint was filed, but how far prosecutors can carry it through court.
