New York City Corruption Scandal Rocks Prisons: Correction Officer Charged with Smuggling Narcotics
A shocking six-count indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn on May 24, 2024, charging seven defendants, including Correction Officer Christian Mizell, with conspiring to bribe correction officers employed by the New York City Department of Corrections (DOC) as part of a narcotics smuggling conspiracy.
According to the indictment, the defendants, including Warren Green and Patrick Johnson, who are currently incarcerated on unrelated felony offenses, arranged for marijuana and other contraband to be packaged and delivered covertly to the correction officers, including Christian Mizell, and Carl Noel, by defendants Robert Martino, Malik Holloway, and Asha Patterson.
The correction officers received thousands of dollars in bribes to smuggle the contraband past DOC security for eventual distribution inside the prison.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James J. Hunt, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), Mark G. Peters, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), James P. O’Neill, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), and George P. Beach, Superintendent, New York State Police, announced the charges.
The honesty and integrity of correction officers is critical to the orderly running of a prison, stated United States Attorney Donoghue. When the defendant correction officers betrayed the trust placed in them by the City of New York, they not only committed serious crimes but also potentially jeopardized the safety of staff and inmates.
The defendants face a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment if convicted.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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