CONCORD - Joseph Buenviaje, 53, of Berlin, New Hampshire, was arrested and appeared in federal court today on charges of bribery of a public official and providing contraband in prison, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray and Guido Modano, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General’s New York Field Office announced.
According to court documents, Buenviaje, while employed as a Chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institution in Berlin, New Hampshire, provided cellular telephones, tobacco, marijuana, Suboxone, and other contraband to inmates, in exchange for money. During a search of Buenviaje’s office at FCI Berlin, investigators seized Suboxone strips, tobacco, and over $5,000 in proceeds.
“Public employees are expected to act with integrity," said U.S. Attorney Murray. “We will always be alert to instances of criminal misconduct by federal employees. In order to ensure that the public has confidence in its public servants, federal employees who violate the public trust by breaking the law will be investigated and prosecuted."
This U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General investigated the case, with support from FCI Berlin’s Office of the Special Investigative Supervisor. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Z. Krasinski.
A federal criminal complaint is only an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
