by Sharelle Burt
August 13, 2024
It took a while for investigators to track down the real identity of ‘Champagne.’
A retired corrections officer at New York’s Rikers Island Prison stands accused of raping and sexually assaulting 24 former female inmates, The Gothamist reports.
After New York’s Adult Survivors Act opened a one-year window to file civil lawsuits over allegations of sexual abuse in cases where the statutes of limitations had expired, more than 20 jail staff members were repeatedly named in suits. One officer, known as “Champagne” in the complaints, was identified in 24 lawsuits.
The alleged assailant was labeled as a ghost because, according to the Office of Payroll Administration, there is no record of anyone with that name who worked at Rikers at the time of the alleged assaults. Between the late 1980s and the early 2000s, Champagne allegedly raped, groped, and forcibly kissed dozens of women in their cells or secluded areas of the women’s jail named the Rose M. Singer Center.
One former prisoner, named Lisa, claimed Champagne repeatedly raped her in a part of the jail used to store recreational equipment. In 1991, at age 22, a judge told her she could possibly go home early on her six-month sentence of a drug distribution charge, but the guard threatened to take that chance away if she failed to comply with his demands. “Going to prison was very, very, very scary at a young age,” she remembered. “Those 60 days meant everything to me. I wanted to go home.”
Champagne would allegedly force the young inmate to have intercourse and perform oral sex on him. Lisa then discovered she was pregnant by him but experienced a miscarriage in the prison bathroom. After being treated at a local hospital, she returned to Rikers, where no one questioned how she became pregnant in an all-women’s jail.
A thorough investigation of the lawsuits provided insight into who Champagne could be. After finding the surname of “Fant,” personnel records, payroll, and social media accounts, only one guard with that last name was found working at Rosie’s during the time of the allegations. Correction Officer Keith Fant was ID’d as the possible assailant. The officer confirmed that he was known as “Champagne” on prison grounds on account of his “bubbly personality.”
However, four former inmates, including Lisa, don’t remember him as such. The women identified him as their attacker. Fourteen women listed Fant in their suits, but he claims they are all lying and just want money. “I know that’s a lot of people and I know it raises eyebrows, but I never, I have not touched anybody inside Rosie’s,” the retired officer, who earns a $45,000 per year pension, said.
“The only thing I can think of is maybe they’re trying to get some money.”
According to NBC News, attorney Adam Slater, who represents several women accusing Fant of rape or sexual abuse, says most of his clients failed ever know the real name of their alleged predator. However, Slater believes officers who worked at Rikers in the 1990s and 2000s knew Champagne’s behavior but decided to turn their backs. “Incredibly, we represent 18 different women from all different walks of life that have come forward and essentially told us the same story about him,” Slater said.
“Unfortunately, this particular case is just one example of what was going on there. This was going on rampantly and openly. Guards really were in on it. They would look out for each other. Just an entire culture that allowed these women to be sexually abused and raped for a very long time.”
Two other victims, Karen Klines and Tasha Beasley Carter, are suing New York City for a combined $40 million in damages. The Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association president, Benny Boscio, says the organization “100%” stands behind the retired officer.” A small fraction of the sexual abuse lawsuits against Rikers could result in city-funded payouts.
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