EXCLUSIVE: Trans-Identified Male Convicted of Domestic Violence Transferred to Minnesota Women’s Prison, Assaults Female Inmate

By Genevieve Gluck

Reduxx has learned that a man with multiple convictions for domestic assault has been quietly transferred into a women’s prison in Minnesota, where he has been accused of attacking a female inmate. Nathan Trevon Jones, 24, who calls himself “Natalia,” is a repeat offender who was most recently convicted of assault in the fifth degree, and was placed in Minnesota’s only female prison, MCF Shakopee, earlier this year.

Jones has been repeatedly found guilty of domestic violence and his criminal record lists six criminal cases for offenses committed within four years. He has been convicted of two misdemeanor and three felony instances of assault and intention to cause “substantial bodily harm.”

In order to protect the identity of the victim or victims, specific details about the assault are not publicly accessible through the Minnesota Court Records system. However, Jones’ crimes display a consistent pattern of escalating violence and stalking.

According to court records, Minnesota Metro police responded to a report of an assault being committed by Jones on June 20, 2023. Officers arrived at 8th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis and spoke with a female victim who told officers that while taking the bus, she had been beaten by two individuals, one of whom was Jones, following an altercation between them.

Surveillance footage obtained by law enforcement depicts Jones spitting on the woman after a verbal exchange. Jones and his accomplice went on to punch the woman, knocking her to the ground before stomping on her and kicking her in the face, leaving injuries that required stitches.

Officers recognized Jones from the surveillance recording due to his prior arrests. At this point, Jones had three prior convictions for assaults committed in September and November 2022. However, despite repeatedly failing to appear for hearings and violating the conditions of his probation, Jones continued to evade a prison sentence.

Instead, he was released on probation, ordered to avoid contacting the victim, and required to undergo a substance abuse treatment program. Jones again committed criminal domestic abuse on September 25 last year while riding on public transit. Court records describe how Jones began stalking and threatening the victim with a lighter shaped like a gun. Jones would later tell officers he had done so because the victim called him a “derogatory slur.”

Reduxx has been in contact with a female inmate at MCF Shakopee who says she is afraid for her life after being threatened by Jones since his arrival at the women’s prison. TaNeishia Bernhardt says Jones threatened her after he assaulted her girlfriend. The altercation allegedly began after Bernhardt’s girlfriend tried to confirm whether he had stolen some of her personal belongings.

“Jones, he has threatened to beat my ass for speaking up for my girlfriend, who he has also assaulted,” Bernhardt told Reduxx, while stating that Jones had repeatedly punched the other woman on her arms. “It makes me fear for my life and other women’s lives in this prison. Now we have to worry about being abused in a so-called ‘safe place.'”

Bernhardt added that a formal report had been filed with prison officials documenting the assault, which occurred in August, but that she was not aware of punitive measures have been undertaken against Jones.

There are currently multiple violent men housed at MCF Shakopee, including several convicted child sexual abusers.

One trans-identified male serving a life sentence for murder who was quietly transferred in to the women’s prison is now sharing a shower with female inmates, causing them to feel “violated.” Bradley Richard Sirvio, 54, was transferred into Shakopee at the end of 2023 after claiming to identify as transgender and adopting the name “Aurora.”

Another male inmate transferred in to Shakopee last year has, according to sources, become visibly erect after he stood up during a classroom session and began ranting about the harmful impacts of rape. Elijah Thomas Berryman is currently serving his 25-year sentence at the women’s prison, having pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct committed against a child over a period of a year.

According to reports from inmates, Berryman has used his internet privileges to obtain photos of female inmates’ children in order to threaten them into silence.

Yet another sex offender detained at Shakopee exposed his erect penis to female inmates. Daniel Patrick Benz, who legally changed his name to Danielle Marie Whitebird, was convicted of sexually abusing a girl under the age of 13 years old. Benz had sexually abused a 6 year-old girl on multiple occasions, and while incarcerated in a men’s facility, began claiming to experience “gender dysphoria”.

Shakopee’s prison policy was altered following a June 2022 lawsuit against the Minnesota Department of Corrections, which ultimately resulted in the implementation of measures permitting male convicts to be housed in the female estate.

The discrimination claim was filed by the trans activist non-profit organization Gender Justice on behalf of Craig ‘Christina’ Lusk, who was serving a five-year sentence for the possession of methamphetamine at the Moose Lake correctional facility for men. In order to aid their legal fight to have violent men placed into the women’s prison, Gender Justice was granted nearly $500,000 in taxpayer funds from the administration of Governor Tim Walz.

Upon his release, Lusk was awarded a $495,000 payout. The legal claim, which was successful in court, demanded that Lusk be transferred to MCF-Shakopee and refers to him as “a woman who was assigned male at birth,” using feminine pronouns throughout.

But Lusk’s ex-wife came forward to tell The Daily Mail that she believed he was a “scammer” and a “big fat liar. The two were married in 2005, but Lusk’s wife filed for divorce in 2008 due to his heavy drinking and violent behavior.

“He would tell his family that if he was a woman, and had boobs, then they had to put him in a female prison,” said Lusk’s ex-wife, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The legal team responsible for arguing Lusk’s case and ensuring that other violent male inmates would be allowed to transfer into Shakopee was honored with the title “Attorneys of the Year” by the Minnesota Lawyer.

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Genevieve Gluck
Genevieve Gluck
Genevieve is the Co-Founder of Reduxx, and the outlet's Chief Investigative Journalist with a focused interest in pornography, sexual predators, and fetish subcultures. She is the creator of the podcast Women's Voices, which features news commentary and interviews regarding women's rights.
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