An ex-federal correction officer is facing up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to taking bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
“The defendant has admitted to violating his duty as a federal correction officer by taking bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into the MDC, a serious betrayal of his fellow correction officers and staff, incarcerated individuals, and the trust placed in him by the government,” said Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the eastern district of New York.
Jeremy Monk, 35, of Brooklyn appeared before magistrate judge James Cho on Monday, March 20.
He pleaded guilty to receiving bribes in exchange for providing contraband to prison inmates detained at the MDC in Brooklyn.
According to court documents, Monk worked as a correction officer at the MDC from May 2020 until he voluntarily resigned on April 18, 2022.
The documents identify several occasions where Monk smuggled contraband into the MDC in exchange for bribes.
For instance, on April 15, 2022, three days before Monk resigned, MDC staff learned that Monk had agreed to accept $10,000 from inmates to smuggle contraband into the MDC and leave it in a staff restroom.
That afternoon, Monk was observed entering the staff restroom consistent with the information MDC staff received.
After Monk left the restroom, MDC staff found more than nine ounces of marijuana hidden on a shelf under floor buffing pads.
The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment.
“This office is focused on rooting out corruption that threatens the safety and security of our federal and local jails,” added Peace.
The government’s case is being handled by the office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant U.S. attorney Philip Pilmar is in charge of the prosecution.
