This story has been updated to include the employment status of the two men.

Another round of indictments in the sexual assault scandal at New Jersey's only women's prison accuses one corrections officer -- who has already been charged with sexual assault -- with helping a fellow guard sexually abuse two inmates.

The indictments handed down Thursday in Hunterdon County say that Ronald Coleman, 39, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania sexually assaulted one inmate between August and October of 2015 and another between January and May of 2016.

In both cases, his coworker, Brian Y. Ambroise, 33, of Union, allowed the women into a "secure area for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct with Ronald Coleman," the grand jurors' indictment said.

Under state law, any sexual contact between inmates and staff is a crime because prisoners cannot legally consent.

Ambroise and Coleman are among the seven employees from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility who have been charged with sexually abusing inmates. Four have been convicted.

After a 2017 NJ Advance Media investigation uncovered a pattern of sexual exploitation and assault in the prison, county prosecutors and the Attorney General's Office launched separate investigations, and state lawmakers have proposed a third probe by a special commission. A civil rights probe is also being conducted by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark.

At least 11 lawsuits have been filed related to the abuses, including two class action suits.

This is the third round of indictments for Ambroise, who worked as a corrections officer at the facility for three years before his arrest in October of 2016. He was scheduled to go to trial on the first charges last fall when a grand jury indicted him for a second time after investigators identified a second inmate he allegedly abused behind bars, according to authorities. Ambroise is accused of sexually assaulting two women in 2015 and 2016.

His attorney, James Wronko, said Ambroise maintains his innocence on all the charges. In regards to the accusation that he helped Coleman, Wronko said this wasn't a case where Ambroise felt he had to obey an order from Coleman because he was a senior corrections officer. He just didn't know that anything illicit was going on, Wronko said.

"He never knowingly did anything to allow Coleman to engage in any inappropriate activities, assuming [Coleman] did," Wronko said.

He said Ambroise is scheduled to go to trial next month on sexual assault charges. He has been suspended without pay since his arrest in October of 2016, according to the Department of Corrections.

It was not immediately clear who is representing Coleman.

The 17-year employee is accused of having sexual relationships with three inmates, according to the prosecutor's office. He is no longer employed by the Department of Corrections, a spokesman said.

Both men were indicted on five counts of official misconduct and two counts each of conspiracy to commit sexual assault and pattern of official misconduct. Coleman was also indicted on three counts of sexual assault in the second degree, the prosecutor's office said.

Inquiries to the Department of Corrections about their employment statuses were not returned Friday.

"The Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office will continue to fairly and aggressively investigate all suspected violations of our criminal code, with priority given to crimes of this nature," Prosecutor Anthony Kearns said in a statement Friday. "Justice demands we do so, regardless of who the victim is and no matter who the perpetrator."

Left to right: Officers Brian Ambroise, Thomas Sequine, Anwhar Dixon, Jason Mays, Joel Mercado and Ronald Coleman. At right, civilian staff member Joel Herscap.

Ambroise also faces a federal civil rights lawsuit by an inmate claiming she was abused by him, and a second officer, Jason Mays, and was punished for reporting the abuse.

Mays, 46, was convicted at trial in May of charges related to the sexual abuse of two inmates. His 16-year sentence, handed down in July, is the stiffest yet in the sexual assault scandal at the prison.

Three other employees have pleaded guilty to official misconduct charges instead of going to trial. Under the plea deals, they will not have to register as sex offenders, and one has already received parole, according to public records.

In addition to Coleman and Ambroise, corrections officer Joel Mercado, 38, of Lyndhurst, is also awaiting trial. He is accused of having a sexual relationship with two inmates, authorities said.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips