A former New York City Rikers Island guard is facing federal charges in a trial today that he deliberately ignored an inmate who died after eating a “soap ball.”

The mentally ill patient, Jason Echevarria tried to swallow the soap ball, which is a mound of disinfectant given to inmates to clean up, and died as a result. Terrence Pendergrass, the captain on duty when Echevarria swallowed it back in 2012, was charged in the death by Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, according to a Reuters report.

Bharara is among those who have been calling for reforms at Rikers, one of the largest jail complexes in the country which houses 11,400 inmates on an average day.

During the August 2012 incident, a new guard wasn’t aware of rules that required soap balls to first be diluted in water before giving one to Echevarria to have him clean sewage that was flooding his cell, prosecutors said.

Echevarria then attempted to swallow the ball, which contains caustic ammonium chloride, and then started banging on his cell door and vomiting, screaming for medical treatment, charging documents state.

Although Pendergrass, 50, had been informed of the situation by two guards and that Echevarria could die if he wasn’t helped, he failed to arrange for medical care, and Echevarria was found dead the next morning, according to the documents.

Pendergrass faces one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, a crime punishable with up to 10 years in prison. He pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer declined to comment.

The father of the inmate is suing the site for $40 million, arguing through his lawyer that it was “extremely obvious” he should have received medical care. The city is denying those allegations.

Scrutiny of Rikers is increasing, with the Department of Corrections announcing two months ago that its chief would resign. Bharara, the prosecutor, said it had found a pattern of abuse of teenage inmates from aggressive guards who used excessive force, as well as violence from other inmates. He has threatened to sue the city if reforms aren’t enacted.

The New York City comptroller also put out a report recently that stated that violence at Rikers had been increasing over the past seven years, despite the fact that spending had also increased and the inmate population had dropped.