On Tuesday, in federal court in Brooklyn, former federal correction officer Quandelle Joseph was sentenced by United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry to 30 months’ imprisonment for accepting bribes in exchange for providing contraband to individuals detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.
Joseph pleaded guilty in January 2024 to the charge of accepting bribes as a public official.
“Quandelle Joseph put his own interests above the safety of incarcerated individuals and other correction officers at the Metropolitan Detention Center by accepting bribes to smuggle drugs, cell phones and other contraband into the jail he was sworn to protect,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “This Office has zero tolerance for corruption in prison facilities, and those who abuse the trust placed in them to carry out their duties will find themselves on the wrong side of the bars like this defendant.”
“We trust Correctional Officers to carry out their duties with honour and integrity. Joseph did the opposite when he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for smuggling dangerous contraband into MDC Brooklyn. Today’s sentencing shows that Correctional Officers who commit these selfish crimes will be held accountable,” stated Ryan T. Geach, DOJ-OIG special agent in charge.
“Quandelle Joseph abused his authority as a former correction officer by supplying inmates with contraband for cash and offering advanced warnings to his clientele to obscure this illicit trade from other guards. His actions not only violated the order and regulation necessary for a secure correctional institution but also threatened the public’s trust in our system. The FBI remains diligent in its pursuit of corrupt public officials who value personal benefit over fulfilling their duty to protect and serve,” stated acting assistant director in charge Christie Curtis.
According to court documents and facts presented at Tuesday’s sentencing proceeding, Joseph became a correction officer at the MDC in May 2020.
During his employment, Joseph accepted tens of thousands of dollars from inmates in exchange for smuggling narcotics, cigarettes, and cell phones into the MDC. In one instance, Joseph accepted bribes to smuggle contraband into the MDC for an inmate, who then sold the contraband widely throughout his unit.
Joseph also warned the inmate about upcoming contraband searches at the MDC. For example, on January 26, 2021, Joseph texted an inmate from whom he was taking bribes: “Tighten up search comin clean phones out call logs n text n try to stash it.”
The next day, Joseph texted the inmate: “keep your phones cleannnnnnnnnn erase texts and call logs every night.”
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