U.S. Attorney Damian Williams | U.S. Department of Justice
Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Ghislaine Barrientos, a former corrections officer, has pled guilty to bribery. This plea is related to her involvement in accepting bribes for smuggling narcotics into Rikers Island. The guilty plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods, with sentencing set for April 16, 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim stated: “Ghislaine Barrientos took bribes when working as a corrections officer at Rikers Island. Rikers Island is less safe, for inmates and officers alike, when corrections officers and others in positions of public trust accept bribes to smuggle contraband. We will not tolerate any breach of trust or corruption that jeopardizes the well-being of inmates and staff.”
According to court documents and statements:
Barrientos conspired with others to smuggle contraband such as cocaine and smokeable synthetic cannabinoids (known as "K2") into the Robert N. Davoren Complex on Rikers Island in exchange for substantial bribe payments.
An incident on April 11, 2024, involved an associate of an inmate discussing sending Barrientos a package via delivery service. On April 15, surveillance footage captured Barrientos entering an inmate's cell without recording her actions inside. A subsequent search found sheets testing positive for cocaine.
On April 24, another package was sent by the same associate using a delivery service. Later that day at work, a drug-detecting canine alerted DOC employees to narcotics in Barrientos’s belongings; they found sheets testing positive for K2.
In an interview with law enforcement, Barrientos falsely claimed no inmate had requested contraband from her. A vehicle search revealed more sheets of paper and approximately $2,466 in cash.
Barrientos has pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery with a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.
The statutory maximum sentence is determined by Congress but will ultimately be decided by the judge during sentencing.
Mr. Kim commended the investigative efforts by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation.
The case is managed by the Public Corruption and Narcotics Units under Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Coyle's prosecution lead.
