BY STEPHANIE BARISH wpix.com

5:46 p.m. EST, December 30, 2009
NEW YORK (WPIX)—
A correction officer is accused of turning the Nassau County Jail into his own sex motel.

Mark Barber, 47, is facing charges he used his power to threaten inmates to comply to his deviant demands by forcing female inmates to have sex with him. The alleged trysts took place in all sorts of private locations he had access to throughout the jail.

District Attorney Kathleen Rice says if an inmate rebuffed Barber's advances he would threaten to make their lives miserable.

Barber, a veteran corrections officer and one time union head, is accused of using his position as a grievance officer to first shower inmates with jail contraband like cigarettes, candy and phone calls.

"He used his position to seek out vulnerable inmates he could terrorize and sexually assault," said Rice. "Many of these woman had histories of drug abuse, prostitution and even mental health issues."

Ironically, the District Attorney's Office said Barber was the officer inmates had to go to if they needed any help at all.

In all, Barber faces 58 charges, including rape, sexual abuse and forcible touching -- stemming from allegations made by six inmates over a two-year period.

Neighbors on Barber's quiet Levittown street were practically speechless.

"I can't believe that. I've know Mark a while," one neighbor told PIX News. "I can't believe it."

Barber's attorney, Fred Annibale, claims the allegations are all lies.

"We deny all the charges outright," said Annibale.

The DA says they have more than enough evidence to put Barber away for the maximum 16 years he faces if found guilty.

The Sheriff and Corrections officers also took part in the investigation.