Six individuals have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a corruption scheme at Rikers Island, as announced by Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The defendants include former Rikers Island corrections officers Jason Skeet, Chantal De Los Santos, and Stephanie Davila; former program counselor Shanequa Washington; former contractor Kenneth Webster; and former inmate Kristopher Francisco. Each was charged with conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud.
The last of the defendants, Davila, received a sentence of 12 months and one day from U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield. The other five defendants had previously been sentenced to terms ranging from 12 months to 41 months.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky commented on the case: "The defendants—former Rikers Island employees, a Rikers Island contractor, and an inmate—engaged in corruption on Rikers Island by agreeing to have contraband smuggled into the Rikers Island jail facilities in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. The defendants’ crimes contributed to a dangerous contraband market within Rikers Island, making Rikers Island less safe for inmates and officers alike."
Court documents reveal that the conspiracies involved smuggling controlled substances such as fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoids (known as "K2"), along with cellphones and cigarettes into Rikers Island. Insiders at the facility were responsible for smuggling these items in exchange for bribes from outside co-conspirators who provided both contraband and payments.
Skeet reportedly smuggled contraband about 100 times between January 2020 and June 2022, receiving over $45,000. Washington participated from March 2022 through April 2022 for approximately $13,000 in return. Webster's involvement spanned May 2022 through September 2022, earning him more than $64,000.
De Los Santos facilitated bribe payments to Washington and Webster between March 2022 through June 2022 so they could transport contraband inside the facility. Davila coordinated with an unnamed corrections officer ("CC-1") during July-August 2021 to deliver contraband to Francisco within the Anna M. Kross Center on Rikers Island.
Each defendant pled guilty to conspiracy charges related to honest services wire fraud. Mr. Podolsky praised efforts by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and New York City Department of Investigation during this operation led by Assistant U.S Attorneys Adam Z Margulies & Jonathan Rebold under Public Corruption Unit management.
