Corrections Department Captain Was Gambling At Empire City Casino While Claiming Overtime Pay: DOJ

YONKERS, NY — A Yonkers woman is accused of extorting subordinates for money, a Louis Vuitton handbag, and personal favors while defrauding taxpayers of thousands of dollars in ill-gotten wages, according to the FBI.

On Thursday, in federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Latanya Brown with extortion and federal program funds theft. She is a captain with the New York City Department of Correction.

The indictment charges Brown with two counts of extortion and one count of fraudulently obtaining funds from a federally funded government agency. Brown was arrested on Thursday and was scheduled to be arraigned the same day.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, FBI, New York Field Office; and Nadia I. Shihata, Commissioner, NYC Department of Investigation, announced the indictment and arrest.

"Captain Latanya Brown allegedly abused her rank and strongarmed her subordinates to support her lavish lifestyle," Barnacle said. "The FBI is determined to aggressively pursue and hold accountable government officials who steal American taxpayer dollars while engaging in corrupt misconduct for personal enrichment."

Brown has been employed by the DOC since October 2001 and has held the rank of captain since July 2007. Between July 2024 and November 2025, Brown was assigned to Rikers Island's Facility Operations Department as a DOC supervisor.

"As a New York City Correction Captain, this defendant was entrusted with great authority, including over those she supervised. Instead of setting the example by upholding the highest standards of integrity and fairness, as charged, this Correction Captain allegedly used her power to extort luxury gifts, money, and personal favors from her subordinates in exchange for approving overtime, schedule changes, and vacation time," Shihata said. "The indictment also charges that on more than 100 occasions in 2024 and 2025 the defendant allegedly collected thousands of dollars in regular and overtime pay for hours she did not work — coming to work late and leaving her post early, including to go to a casino."

Between November 2025 and December 2025, Brown was assigned to NYS courthouses located in the Bronx. As a captain, Brown supervised other correction officers and was responsible for approving employee requests for shift-schedule changes, overtime shifts, and vacation time. In 2024 and 2025, Brown regularly threatened to withhold approvals for shift changes, overtime shifts, and vacation time requests for her officers unless they agreed to pay her money, buy luxury items for her, and/or perform personal errands for her, according to the DOJ. For example, feds say, in December 2024, Brown forced several officers to buy an expensive Louis Vuitton bag for her. When Brown made her demand, she made statements to the DOC officers implying that their shift assignments, overtime shifts, and vacation time would be in jeopardy unless they purchased the luxury item, according to the DOJ.

In addition, Brown forced officers to drive her while on duty for non-work-related purposes, such as visits to restaurants, bars, and a casino, according to prosecutors.

"As alleged, the defendant brazenly abused her authority as a law enforcement supervisor to steal taxpayer money and terrorize her subordinates by shaking them down for money, expensive gifts, and chauffeuring her to run personal errands, including trips to a casino while she was on duty," Nocella said. "Our Office will vigorously prosecute corrupt government officials who betray the public’s trust, and where applicable as in this case, seek forfeiture of ill-gotten funds."

In 2024 and 2025, Brown received more than $250,000 in regular pay and more than $400,000 in overtime pay. However, on more than 100 occasions during this time period, Brown submitted documentation to the DOC claiming that she had worked the entirety of regular and overtime shifts, when in fact she actually arrived to work several hours late or left work several hours early on those occasions, federal investigators said. On some occasions, when Brown left her assigned posting early, she did so to spend time at the Empire City Casino in Yonkers, according to the DOJ.

On Nov. 21, 2024, Brown claimed to have worked from 5 a.m. until 9:31 p.m. on Rikers Island, according to the indictment. However, Brown was not at Rikers Island during the entirety of that shift and instead arrived at the Empire Casino that day at approximately 2:34 p.m., investigators reported.

If convicted, the 51-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison.