Five former city correction officers, a Department of Correction employee, and an employee of a department contractor at Rikers Island jail complex in New York City, along with a detainee, have been charged with corruption in smuggling contraband into the jail. The contraband included drugs such as oxycodone, marijuana, fentanyl, and K2, as well as cellphones. These actions compromised the safety of both inmates and officers at the jail, according to federal prosecutors. The defendants were accused of engaging in corruption for personal gain by accepting bribes to smuggle in the contraband.
During the time that the officers and employees were allegedly smuggling drugs into Rikers Island, visitation had been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there was a significant increase in overdose cases in the city’s jail system. Overdoses in city jails that required a 911 call rose by 55% from the previous year, with several deaths due to drug overdoses reported in 2022. This spike in overdoses coincided with the smuggling activities of the accused individuals.
Specific instances of corruption were outlined in the complaints unsealed in Manhattan federal court. In one case, a correction officer named Carlos Rivera was accused of receiving bribes to smuggle contraband for an inmate. Another former correction officer, Chantal de los Santos, was alleged to have worked with inmates to bribe a correction program counselor, Shanequa Washington, to smuggle in controlled substances-soaked sheets. Washington, in turn, distributed the sheets to inmates, with payments being made through Cash App for the sales.
Stephanie Davila, a former correction officer, and Kristopher Francisco, an inmate, were charged with conspiring to bribe another correction officer to smuggle in contraband such as fentanyl, marijuana, K2, cigarettes, and cellphones. The complaints also detailed the involvement of Kenneth Webster, a contractor at Rikers Island, in smuggling contraband into the jail. These actions illustrate the extent of the corruption within the institution and the detrimental impact it had on the safety and security of the facility.
Following the unsealing of the complaints, the New York City Department of Investigation issued eight recommendations to address the corruption at Rikers Island. These included placing canine units at the staff entrance to screen correction officers for drugs and hiring contractors or external law enforcement to serve as front gate staff. The charges against the defendants are a part of broader efforts to address the issues at the troubled jail complex, which has faced criticism for high rates of violence and unsafe conditions for detainees.
The corruption revelations at Rikers Island come at a time when there are ongoing efforts to close the jail complex due to its troubled history. The city recently agreed to pay over $28 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who suffered severe brain damage after attempting to hang himself in a Rikers Island jail cell while several correction officers watched. These incidents underscore the need for comprehensive reforms and oversight to ensure the safety and well-being of both inmates and staff at correctional facilities like Rikers Island.
