Corrections Officer From Westchester Smuggled Drugs Into Rikers: DOJ

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Federal prosecutors say a corrections officer from Westchester abused her position for profit.

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jocelyn E. Strauber, the Commissioner of the NYC Department of Investigation, and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, announced the unsealing of a complaint charging 37-year-old Ghislaine Barrientos, of Mount Vernon, with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and false statements as part of a scheme to smuggle narcotics into Rikers Island.

Barrientos was arrested Wednesday and was scheduled to appear before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn later that day.

"Rikers Island is less safe, for inmates and officers alike, when corrections officers and others in positions of public trust accept bribes to smuggle contraband," Williams said. "As alleged, the defendant in this case engaged in corruption for her own enrichment. In our relentless pursuit of justice, we leave no stone unturned, especially within the confines of jails and prisons, where the safety and dignity of all individuals must be safeguarded. We will not tolerate any breach of trust or corruption that jeopardizes the well-being of inmates and staff."

According to court documents, Barrientos, a former NYC Department of Correction officer, conspired with others to smuggle contraband, including cocaine, smokeable synthetic cannabinoids (known as "K2"), and food, to inmates at the Robert N. Davoren Complex on Rikers Island in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes.

For example, on April 11 of this year, Barrientos discussed with an associate of an inmate about how the associate would send her a package through a delivery service, according to law enforcement. On April 15, surveillance footage showed Barrientos entering the inmate's cell, where surveillance footage could not capture her actions. Two days later, the DOC searched the inmate's cell and found sheets of paper that tested positive for cocaine.

On April 24, the associate sent Barrientos another package using the delivery service. When Barrientos went to work later that day, a drug-detecting canine alerted for the presence of narcotics, federal officials said. DOC employees searched her belongings and found approximately 10 sheets of paper that tested positive for K2.

In an interview, federal officials say, Barrientos falsely stated, among other things, that no inmate had ever asked her to bring them contraband. Law enforcement officers then searched her vehicle and found additional sheets of paper, as well as around $2,466 in cash.

"The contraband trade destabilizes the City’s jails, and City Correction Officers play a vital role in maintaining order and keeping persons in custody, and their fellow officers, safe," Strauber said. "But this defendant, as charged, ignored her obligations and violated the trust the City placed in her when she took bribes in exchange for smuggling dangerous narcotics and other contraband into Rikers Island jail facilities. I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI for their partnership with DOI in the effort to stop illegal contraband smuggling in the City’s jails."

Barrientos was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. She was also charged with one count of false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Williams praised the investigative work of the FBI and DOI.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption and Narcotics Units. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Coyle and Sheb Swett are in charge of the prosecution.