NEW YORK: Seventeen corrections officers, inmates and their associates were indicted Thursday in a crackdown on smuggling at New York’s infamous Rikers Island jail.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said two corrections officers, a cook and six inmates were among those accused of conspiring to smuggle scalpels, narcotics and other contraband in return for thousands of dollars in bribes. “These alleged schemes fed the climate of danger and fear that makes Rikers Island notorious for brutality, and they reveal the true scope of corruption that goes far beyond its shoreline,” Clark said.
Clark said Officer Kevin McKoy “tarnished his badge” by continuing to smuggle scalpels into the jail after another officer was slashed in the face. McKoy was arrested Nov. 24 with seven scalpels tucked into the leg of his pants. Officer Mohammed Sufian, 25, is accused of agreeing to bring tobacco into the jail for $1,000. He was arrested in February.
“Mr. Sufian has no criminal history and was fresh out of the academy without the financial need or time at Rikers to have become corrupted,” said his lawyer, Ryan Blanch. “The paltry sum he was allegedly offered to risk his career and his freedom says a lot in this case. He looks forward to his day in court. ”
The arrests came as the city Department of Correction announced that seizures of guns and drugs had risen sharply due to tougher search protocols. Correction officers found 2,780 knives and other weapons from July through April, up almost 50% over the same period the previous year, the department said. Drug seizures also rose sharply.
“We are taking aggressive steps to stem the flow of contraband into our facilities,” Commissioner Joseph Ponte said Thursday. “We have zero tolerance for any illegal behavior in our jails, and we are confident that our ongoing reforms are yielding more capable officers and safer jails.”
Rikers, the city’s primary jail complex sits on 413 acres along the East River in the Bronx. The average daily jail population is about 10,000 inmates overseen by almost as many guards and staff.
