A detainee at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Center has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to possess and distribute contraband inside the facility, according to an announcement from Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Matthew Pizarro, 36, admitted in court that he worked with another detainee and individuals outside the detention center to arrange for contraband deliveries. The items were brought into the facility by Kaii Almeida-Falcones, a former correctional officer from Smithfield.
Video surveillance from February 14, 2021, showed Correctional Officer Almeida-Falcone visiting Pizarro’s cell briefly. Shortly after, Pizarro went to another detainee's cell—Emmanuel Nolasco—for less than a minute. A strip search of Nolasco uncovered a package containing suboxone strips. In Pizarro’s cell, officers found a plastic bottle with 4.5 grams of marijuana hidden in his pillowcase.
Laboratory testing confirmed that the package contained 201 suboxone strips, including five partial strips. Suboxone contains buprenorphine, which is classified as a Schedule III controlled substance.
Pizarro pleaded guilty on March 12, 2025, to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution of Suboxone, and possession of contraband by an inmate. U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose sentenced him to 60 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Kaii Almeida-Falcones was previously sentenced on November 14, 2024, to six months in federal prison and twenty-four months of supervised release; the first six months are to be served under home confinement. He pleaded guilty on June 10, 2024, to providing contraband to an inmate.
Emmanuel Nolasco was sentenced on November 3, 2024, to forty-eight months of incarceration and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty on June 20, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute Suboxone and related charges.
Assistant United States Attorneys Paul F. Daly Jr. and Ly T. Chin prosecuted these cases.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: the FBI, United States Marshals Service, U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, and the Professional Standards Unit at Wyatt Detention Center.
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