The former corrections officer at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center was sentenced to three years in prison for smuggling a gun into the center.
Greg McKenzie, 35, of Danbury, Conn., also was sentenced to three years of supervised release, to follow his 36-month sentence for obstructing a federal investigation into the smuggling, according to a Feb. 8 U.S. Department of Justice news release. McKenzie allegedly lied to investigators when he used a prepaid phone to communicate with inmate Deejay White and White's wife, Dawntiana White, to smuggle a handgun into the MCC.
"Greg McKenzie, a former correctional officer, obstructed an investigation into the smuggling of a firearm into the MCC that endangered the safety of inmates, prison staff and the greater community," U.S. Attorney for New York's Southern District Damian Williams said in the news release. "By lying about his secret communications with the very inmate who possessed a firearm in the MCC and that inmate's wife, who helped smuggle the firearm into the MCC, McKenzie thwarted a serious criminal investigation and sacrificed the integrity of the institution he swore to protect. McKenzie’s sentence underscores this office's commitment to holding public servants accountable and ensuring that no one is above the law."
The incident involving a loaded .22 caliber handgun occurred "on or about March 5, 2020," and surveillance video and call detail records found McKenzie circumvented a metal detector, according to the news release. McKenzie was seen alone in Deejay White's cellblock "while appearing to carry an object under his left arm." The handgun was later recovered from inside a MCC prison cell.
Deejay White pleaded guilty to possessing the firearm inside the MCC in July 2021, while his wife pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle the firearm into the MCC, the release reported.
In November 2021, McKenzie was voluntary interviewed by two federal agents, during which he denied owning, possessing or using any prepaid cellphones to communicate with an MCC inmate "or inmate's associate," the news release said.
McKenzie entered a guilty plea to the charge in September 2022 before U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel. Castel also sentenced McKenzie, the release reported.
