A federal lawsuit accuses Pastor Mark Melhorn, a Baptist chaplain at the ICE-run Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, of sexually abusing a detainee, identified as Jane Doe, over more than a year.

The complaint alleges Melhorn groomed Doe by giving her a Bible, then escalated to harassment, groping, and assault inside her cell, warning her not to report him.

Despite Doe twice alerting facility staff, investigations were closed as “unsubstantiated” due to lack of video evidence, and Melhorn allegedly continued his misconduct.

Doe, an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was eventually released but remains traumatized.

Her suit also names the U.S. government, the GEO Group (which runs the facility), and a PREA investigator, citing systemic failures to prevent abuse amid longstanding reports of sexual misconduct in immigration detention, the Independent has reported.

She is seeking damages and accountability.