A man convicted of the horrific sexual abuse of a young girl has been engaged in a lawsuit against the Washington Department of Corrections, claiming they have not fulfilled their end of the bargain on a “gender affirming care” agreement, and seeking $400,000 in compensation.
Brooke Lyn Sonia, formerly known as Brett David Sonia, was convicted in 2005 and 2006 on dozens of charges related to the sexual exploitation of a child. Sonia had first initiated contact with the child in Strafford County, New Hampshire, where he began sexually abusing the girl and photographing the lewd acts, but would later take the victim across state lines to Los Angeles County, California where he would continue to sexually exploit her.
Early news coverage from the case suggest the girl, who was 13 at the time, had been groomed by Sonia into creating child sexual exploitation material.
Jury selection in Strafford County was said to be “difficult,” with over one dozen potential jurors admitting they would not be able to sit on the case due to its highly disturbing nature.
As previously exclusively revealed by Reduxx, Sonia was ultimately handed sentences in both California and New Hampshire, with the latter taking the lead in his prison term. After a minimum of 22.5 years are served towards his New Hampshire sentence, which maxes out in 2047, a Los Angeles County court will decide whether he is to serve additional time in California.
But after being incarcerated, Sonia wasn’t kept in New Hampshire.
As part of the Interstate Corrections Compact (ICC), Sonia was sent to Washington to serve a portion of his sentence in 2016, one year after beginning to identify as transgender. The ICC allows states to share correctional resources, and move inmates to cross-border facilities which may be better suited to their needs. Sonia was moved between multiple male facilities in Washington, and left a trail of complaints with regards to not being given adequate access to “gender affirming care,” such as women’s underwear and laser hair removal.
In 2022, Sonia was finally moved into a women’s prison in Washington state. A source with a family member at the Washington Correctional Center for Women (WCCW) came forward to speak with Reduxx and pass on information from the female inmates inside, who claimed that Sonia frequently “changes” his gender identity, and has reportedly told some of the female inmates that he identifies as a man.
But months after Reduxx broke the news on Sonia’s transfer, he appears to have launched a lawsuit against ten staff members associated with the Washington Department of Corrections (WDOC) both at WCCW and the male prison Sonia had previously been held at, citing “cruel and unusual punishment.”
In a legal complaint obtained by Reduxx, Sonia alleges that the defendants denied him “adequate medical care with deliberate indifference,” and caused him “severe emotional anguish” as a result.
According to the complaint, Sonia says that he entered into an agreement with staff from the WDOC in 2020 promising facial hair removal and “gender confirmation surgery” in the form of breast implants.
As a result of not receiving these taxpayer-funded procedures in a timely fashion, Sonia claims he has suffered severe and debilitating anxiety, depression, weight gain and loss, and anger issues.
Other matters brought forward in the suit include a claim by Sonia that money was “unlawfully seized” from his inmate account. This seizure appears to be related to legal financial obligations which may have included compensation to his victim, but Sonia claims he should not have been subjected to the seizure of his funds. A third matter involves Sonia being registered to alcohol and drug programs he says were not required, with the inmate accusing members of WDOC staff of “fudging” his record to justify the enrollment.
In response, Attorney General Robert Ferguson, who is representing the defendants, admitted that an agreement had been struck between Sonia and correctional officials regarding “gender affirming care,” but denied that Sonia was entitled to any relief for his various complaints.
The case is progressing and appears to be headed for a jury trial.
In Sonia’s complaint, he highlighted that other inmates in WDOC custody had been offered hair removal and breast augmentation services, and while he did not specify who, it is likely one of the inmates he is referring to is Nonnie Marcella Lotusflower, another trans-identified male inmate at WCCW.
Born Nathan Goninan, Lotusflower was provided “gender affirming” breast implants in June of 2022 by the state of Washington while serving a 10-year sentence for the brutal murder of a teen girl.
In May of 2023, Reduxx learned from an internal source that Lotusflower had reportedly been “gifted” a Victoria’s Secret bra by the facility despite the brand not being an approved retailer allowed into WCCW.
