Chaplain Buenviaje Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Drugs into FCI-Berlin

Joseph Buenviaje, 53, of Berlin, New Hampshire, has admitted to turning the prison chapel into a smuggling hub, pleading guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for trafficking drugs and contraband into the Federal Correctional Institution at Berlin. Once trusted to minister to inmates, Buenviaje instead trafficked in addiction, lining his pockets while endangering staff and prisoners alike.

Court documents reveal the betrayal began in April 2018 and continued through November 2018. As a chaplain at FCI-Berlin, Buenviaje exploited his access to bring in Suboxone, synthetic cannabinoids soaked into notebook pages, marijuana, cellular telephones, tobacco, and other illegal goods. He did so not out of compassion—but for cold cash. Investigators say he accepted at least $12,000 in bribes, with inmates still owing him an additional $3,000 to $5,000 for contraband delivered or promised.

The scheme was both brazen and methodical. Contraband arrived by mail addressed to his ministry. Suboxone came in original prescription packaging, only to be stripped and rewrapped in cellophane for underground distribution. Notebooks laced with synthetic cannabinoids like FUB-AMB and 5F-ADB were smuggled inside the prison and stashed in a chapel cabinet—holy space turned black market locker.

When investigators confronted Buenviaje in November 2018, they didn’t need to dig far. A consensual search of his car and office uncovered 111 Suboxone strips—some loose in his vehicle, others repackaged and ready to move. In his office cabinet, agents found multiple notebooks meant for inmates, their pages soaked in designer drugs designed to evade detection and devastate bodies.

“Those who work in federal prisons have a responsibility to uphold the law,” said U.S. Attorney Scott W. Murray. “By smuggling contraband into a prison, this defendant jeopardized the safety of the inmates and staff at the facility. Such conduct simply cannot be tolerated.” The message from federal prosecutors is clear: betrayal from within will be punished severely.

Buenviaje is scheduled for sentencing on August 1, 2019. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and FCI-Berlin’s Office of the Special Investigative Supervisor. It’s being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Z. Krasinski and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter. The fall of a prison chaplain is a grim reminder: sometimes, the deepest corruption hides behind a collar.