A former federal correction officer with the United States Bureau of Prisons (BOP) pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband to Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) detainees in Brooklyn.
33-year-old Quandelle Joseph, who resigned from the BOP during the case, confessed his wrongdoings before United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry.
Details from the investigation revealed that, since joining MDC in May 2020, Joseph accepted tens of thousands of dollars from inmates to smuggle narcotics, cigarettes, and phones into the facility.
During one instance, amidst a lockdown taking place, Joseph reportedly entered a unit that he was not assigned to guard and gave the inmate illegal goods — including a cell phone — that the guard expected to be paid $12,000 for.
Another situation detailed in court documents revealed that Joseph smuggled in contraband for another detainee, who then proceeded to sell the goods throughout his unit.
Knowing this, Joseph reportedly warned the inmate about upcoming contraband searches on a number of occasions, including messages that said: “Tighten up search comin clean phones out call logs n text n try to stash it,” and “keep your phones cleannnnnnnnnn erase texts and call logs every night.”
When sentenced, Joseph could face upwards of 15 years in prison, according to United States Attorney Breon Peace.
