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NO WRONGDOING, SHE INSISTS Representative Gloria Fox disputes a prison guard's allegation that she had misrepresented the identity of the woman with her, calling her an aide. |
Lawmaker denies lying about prison visitor
Unaware activist was girlfriend of inmate, Fox says
State Representative Gloria L. Fox denied doing anything wrong when she visited a convicted murderer at Old Colony Correctional Center with the convict's girlfriend last month, saying she was only "doing my duty as a public servant" to review abuse allegations at the facility in Bridgewater.
The Roxbury Democrat, in her first public comment since the Department of Correction launched an inquiry into the visit, said in a written statement issued over the weekend that she did not know that the woman, Joanna Marinova, was the girlfriend of the inmate.
Fox said she had gone to Old Colony Correctional Center to look into "serious issues internally with a few corrections officers" that had erupted after the convict, Darrell Jones, recorded a short film about prison life, "Voices From Behind the Wall."
The state corrections officers union has accused Fox of trying to sneak Marinova into the prison by saying that the woman was her aide.
Fox flatly denied the accusation in her statement, repeating a denial issued by her lawyer last week.
"I was totally unaware that there was an alleged relationship between Ms. Marinova, who was a member of the 'Voices From Behind the Wall' production team, and my transportation to the facility that day," Fox said in a statement to reporters.
"I refuse to have anyone cast me as a perpetrator of any kind for doing my duty as a public servant. With that said, there really isn't anything else to this story, and I will not comment any further."
A day after Fox's visit, Jones was transferred to MCI-Norfolk, which is favored by inmates because of its large yard and relatively generous free time.
Marinova said she was not sure whether Fox knew she was Jones's girlfriend. She said she first met Fox at a prison activists meeting in April 2008 and had mentioned to Fox at some point that she and Jones "had developed a personal relationship." But she said she probably did not explicitly identify herself as his girlfriend. Marinova said she usually introduces herself simply as an activist.
"I don't really mix in my personal with my business," said Marinova. "It was not something I really discussed."
Marinova said there also appeared to be an inaccuracy in Fox's statement. Marinova said she was not part of the "Voices From Behind the Wall" production team, although she is working on an another video about prison life.
"I don't know why she says that," Marinova said. "I'm definitely not a member of the production team."
Steve Kenneway, president of the Massachusetts Correctional Officers Federated Union, said he found it hard to believe that Fox did not know Marinova was Jones's girlfriend.
"I don't find any credibility in that statement at all," Kenneway said. "And I'm just basing that on simple observation."
Because Marinova was visiting Old Colony along with Fox, guards looked at her driver's license but did not search her, and the superintendent escorted her and Fox into an area of the prison that is typically off-limits to visitors.
Minutes later, Marinova said, the superintendent escorted her out and confronted Fox, asking if Marinova was in fact her aide. Marinova said Fox replied, "No, she's a prison activist."
Diane Wiffin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Correction, said officials are continuing the inquiry into Fox's visit. She declined to comment further. House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo is monitoring the matter, his spokesman said.
"Speaker DeLeo awaits the findings of the [department's] investigation of this matter," said DeLeo's spokesman, Seth Gitell.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
