Cash, Cold Cuts Smuggled To NJ Prison Inmate In Newark: Authorities

NEWARK, NJ — A corrections officer at Northern State Prison in Newark has been accused of smuggling contraband to an inmate in exchange for monthly bribes, including cash, jewelry, cologne, cold cuts and espresso, authorities announced Wednesday.

Werner Gramajo, 45, of Newark, a senior correctional officer at the prison, has been charged with official misconduct, bribery, conspiracy and tampering with public records, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

Gramajo allegedly gave the items to Thomas De Vingo, 64, who is incarcerated on a robbery conviction, prosecutors said. De Vingo is now also facing charges of bribery, official misconduct and conspiracy in connection with the scheme, prosecutors said.

The attorney general's office released the following statement about the allegations:

“Detectives say De Vingo approached the corrections officer back in early 2020 about the arrangement, after hearing the officer was experiencing financial trouble. According to investigators, officer Gramajo subsequently, over the course of roughly a year, received monetary payments that De Vingo had arranged in the amount of up to $500 per month. Prosecutors believe several deliveries were made to the inmate each month.”

The officer “gets paid monthly and well for his services,” De Vingo allegedly said in a communication with an unnamed civilian, obtained by the Attorney General’s Office. In other exchanges he advised the contact to “tell [Gramajo] not to forget the Italian espresso” and to tell the officer “the old guy wants his things,” prosecutors stated.

Authorities said the Department of Corrections became aware of the scheme after a suspicious note was found in a high-security, officer-controlled area where inmates are not allowed. That note was a request that food be brought to “Tommy Two Times,” referring to De Vingo.

The written request included $40 in cash, prosecutors said.

According to the attorney general’s office, the “tampering with public records” charge arises from Gramajo falsely stating in a report, after the note was uncovered, that he was unaware of the conspiracy and who on the prison staff might be involved. While Gramajo allegedly admitted to one instance when he brought contraband to the prisoner, he said he was never involved in any exchange of cash.

“I would like to state that this was the only time that I brought stuff to that inmate,” Gramajo wrote, according to prosecutors.

The official misconduct, bribery and conspiracy charges are all second-degree crimes, each potentially carrying a sentence of five to 10 years in prison upon conviction. The third-degree tampering with public records charge that Gramajo is additionally facing could carry a sentence of three to five years behind bars, prosecutors said.

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