A detainee at the Wyatt Detention Center has admitted to conspiring with others, including a former correctional officer, to possess and distribute contraband within the facility. Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom announced the development.
Matthew Pizarro, 36, acknowledged his role in coordinating with another detainee and individuals outside the detention center for the delivery of contraband. This contraband was delivered by Kaii Almeida-Falcones, 31, a former correctional officer from Smithfield.
Surveillance footage from the detention center shows Almeida-Falcone visiting Pizarro’s cell briefly on February 14, 2021. Shortly after, Pizarro visited another detainee's cell—Edward Nolasco, 38—for a similarly brief period.
On February 15, 2021, a strip search of Nolasco uncovered a package containing suboxone strips. A search of Pizarro’s cell revealed a plastic bottle with 4.5 grams of marijuana hidden inside his pillowcase.
Lab tests confirmed that the seized package contained 201 suboxone strips, five of which were partials. These strips contain buprenorphine, an ingredient in Suboxone—a Schedule III controlled substance.
Pizarro has pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of contraband by an inmate. His sentencing is scheduled for June 10, 2025. The sentence will be determined by a federal district judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutory factors.
Kaii Almeida-Falcones received a six-month federal prison sentence on November 14, 2024. This will be followed by twenty-four months of supervised release; the first six months under home confinement. He had pleaded guilty on June 10, 2024.
Edward Nolasco was sentenced on November 3, 2024, to forty-eight months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He had pleaded guilty on June 20, 2023.
Assistant United States Attorneys Paul F. Daly Jr., and Ly T. Chin are prosecuting these cases following investigations by multiple agencies including the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General.
