The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced a man has been convicted on charges of bribing New York City correctional officers to smuggle contraband into Rikers Island jail.
According to a Dec. 1 DOJ news release, a federal jury found James Albert, 45, of Comstock, N.Y., guilty of participating in a scheme while serving time at the George R. Vierno Center to bribe correctional officers to smuggle illegal drugs and other contraband into the jail for sale to inmates. Albert faces a potentional maximum of 15 years behind bars.
“Today’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for conspiring with corrupt correction officers to facilitate his lucrative drug-selling business from which he generated tens of thousands of dollars from his Rikers Island jail cell,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said, according to the release. “Such lawless conduct by the defendant and his co-conspirators undermines the orderly running of the institution and endangers the safety of other incarcerated individuals and Department of Correction personnel. This office will continue working with our federal and local law enforcement partners to disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics and other contraband into correctional facilities.”
The release states that between February and June 2019, Albert organized a plan to bribe at least two officers to illegally smuggle marijuana, suboxone strips and other contraband into GRVC for sale and distribution to other inmates. Albert's wife and co-defendant Celena Burgess also participated in the scheme, receiving thousands of dollars in electronic payments from inmates to pay the correctional officers on their behalf.
Evidence against Albert included testimony from one of the officers that accepted bribes from Albert to smuggle marijuana into the jail which described how he smuggled drugs into the jail and testimony from his wife, who testified as part of a deferred prosecution deal. The officer who testified pleaded guilty to conspiring to accept bribes and is currently awaiting sentencing, the release reported.
The jury also heard recorded telephone calls using coded language to arrange the deals, according to the release.
