Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that former corrections officer Ghislaine Barrientos has been sentenced to six months in prison followed by six months of home detention. Barrientos was involved in accepting bribes to smuggle narcotics and other contraband into Rikers Island. U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods imposed the sentence after Barrientos entered a guilty plea.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky stated, “Ghislaine Barrientos smuggled drugs and other contraband into Rikers Island in exchange for more than ten thousand dollars in bribes. Barrientos not only abused her position of public trust as a corrections officer, she made Rikers Island less safe for inmates and officers alike. Corrupt corrections officers have no place in our jail facilities, and this Office will continue to work to rid our jails of those who take advantage of their positions to enrich themselves.”
Court documents reveal that Barrientos, a former officer with the New York City Department of Correction, collaborated with others to smuggle items including cocaine, smokeable synthetic cannabinoids known as "K2," and food to inmates at Rikers Island's Robert N. Davoren Complex. This was in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes.
In addition to her prison sentence, Barrientos, 37, from Mount Vernon, New York, has been ordered to forfeit $11,866. Podolsky commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation for their investigative efforts.
The case is managed by the Office’s Public Corruption and Narcotics Units, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Coyle leading the prosecution.
