EAST ST. LOUIS — A former correctional officer at Pinckneyville Correctional Center pleaded guilty in U.S. Federal Court in East St. Louis Tuesday to federal charges in East St. Louis Tuesday stemming from an incident in which a restrained inmate was beaten.

Thirty-five-year-old Cord A. Williams of Vergennes pleaded guilty to violating the inmate’s civil rights by using excessive force under color of law and of conspiracy to obstruct justice by falsifying incident reports.

Two other correctional officers, 25-year-old Christian L. Pyles, and 52-year-old Mark C. Maxwell, both of Pinckneyville, are also charged in the indictment.

The indictment alleges both Williams and Pyles beat an inmate who was fully restrained in handcuffs and leg irons on April 24, 2022.

Maxwell was charged with a separate civil rights violation that alleges he was the acting lieutenant when he failed to intervene and allowed the inmate to be beaten in his presence.

As part of Williams’ plea, he admitted that the beating occurred to punish the inmate because he had previously punched a different correctional officer.

Court records showed the beating caused significant injuries to the inmate, including facial fractures, multiple lacerations, a chipped tooth, and lung damage.

The conspiracy count alleges that both Williams, Pyles and others colluded to file false reports about the incident.