Silke Jasso
On Wednesday, nine correction workers — including seven correction officers and two correction employees — were arrested for allegedly smuggling razors, scalpels, illegal substances, cell phones, and other contraband into a New York City jail.
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Prosecutors Say Guards Smuggled Contraband to Prisoners in Exchange for Bribes
In newly released documents from federal prosecutors with the Southern District of New York, prosecutors accused nine guards and employees of the New York City Department of Correction of smuggling contraband to prisoners in exchange for cash bribes. The nine employees currently or previously worked at the Rikers Island Jail Complex and the Manhattan Detention Complex.
“These defendants were responsible for maintaining a safe and orderly environment in New York City’s jails,” U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in the statement. “Instead, as alleged, they abused their positions to enrich themselves by smuggling weapons, drugs, and other dangerous contraband in return for thousands of dollars of cash bribes. This alleged activity violated the defendants’ duties, and endangered the inmates they were charged to supervise and guard.”
Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett said in the statement that the charged crimes reflected “the pernicious and damaging impact of corruption.” She added, “Correction officers and staff should protect the integrity of the jails, not promote lawlessness and violence by accepting bribes in return for trafficking drugs, scalpels, razor blades, cell phones, and other contraband – all highly valued, illegal items that undermine order in the jails and compromise the safety of other correction officers and inmates.”
What We Know About the Nine NYC Correction Employees
According to the indictment, three correction officers — including 35-year-old Miguel Compress of New York, 45-year-old Temaine Pelzer of Brooklyn, and 60-year-old Brian Harrell of Pelham, NY — took more than $20,000 in cash bribes from prisoners at the Manhattan Detention Complex (colloquially known as “The Tombs”) in downtown Manhattan. In exchange, these three guards allegedly smuggled to prisoners scalpels, smokable synthetic cannabinoids (often referred to as “K2” or “Spice”), cellphones, and cigarettes between 2019 and early 2020.
FBI agents also busted four guards — including 33-year-old Dariel Diaz of Reading, Pennsylvania, 25-year-old Rashawn Assanah of Queens, 33-year-old Robert Balducci of the Bronx, and 32-year-old Johnathan Garrett of Brooklyn — at the Rikers Island Jail Complex smuggling in contraband more than $25,000 in bribes in 2020 and 2021, the indictment claims.
In the document, the feds also accuse a Department of Correction counselor — 41-year-old Tameka Lewis of Brooklyn — accused of taking more than $40,000 in bribes from at least in or about June 2019 up through and including in or about September 2020. To prisoners who bribed her, the counselor allegedly smuggled K2 and other contraband into the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island. According to the indictment, Lewis accepted bribes in the form of Cash App.
In addition, the indictment names a Department of Corrections exterminator — 34-year-old Jasmine Reed of Norfolk, Virginia — accused of smuggling in K2, marijuana, and other contraband in exchange for an unspecified amount in cash bribes between August 2019 and February 2020. Five employees were arrested in New York, one in Pennsylvania, and one in Virginia, according to the indictment.
If convicted of charges including conspiracy, bribery, honest services wire fraud, the employees could each face a maximum of decades in prison. However, convictions in these kinds of cases usually result in prison sentences of less than a decade, reports The Associated Press.
According to the NY Daily News, the bust comes weeks after a federal report criticized the NYC Department of Correction for “deeply dysfunctional” management and high rates of violent crimes. City Correction Commissioner Cynthia Brann has resigned and will leave her job at the end of the month, reports the Daily News. The exact reason behind her early departure is unknown.
