SPRINGFIELD — Three Illinois correctional officers have been indicted on federal charges stemming from the alleged May 2018 assault of an inmate who later died.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 51-year-old Todd Sheffler, of Mendon, 41-year-old Willie Hedden, of Mt. Sterling, and 28-year-old Alex Banta, of Quincy assaulted 65-year-old inmate Larry Earvin on May 7, 2018, while he was restrained and handcuffed behind his back as he was being escorted to another prison unit.

Earvin, suffered multiple broken ribs, a punctured colon, and other serious internal injuries, and died in June 2018 after being airlifted from Centralia Correctional Center where he had been transferred following the incident.

Clinton County Coroner Phillip Moss declined to release the autopsy report following Earvin’s death, saying he was “advised by the FBI not to release any information.

The defendants were arrested late Thursday by the FBI and Illinois State Police and appeared Friday for arraignment in federal court before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough.

Specifically, the indictment charges Sheffler, Hedden and Banta with conspiracy to deprive civil rights, deprivation of civil rights, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

As charged, the statutory sentence for both conspiracy to deprive civil rights and deprivation of civil rights under color of law resulting in bodily injury and death is any term of imprisonment up to life.

For each count of obstruction, the maximum statutory penalty is up to 20 years in prison.