Shawn D. Hart, Smuggling Contraband into Wyatt Detention Center, Rhode Island 2023

PROVIDENCE, RI — Shawn D. Hart, 46, Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Contraband into Wyatt Detention Center

A federal judge in Providence heard the shocking confession of Shawn D. Hart, a detainee at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Center, who admitted to conspiring with others to smuggle contraband into the facility. The gruesome detail was revealed by Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom in a press release last week.

According to court records, Hart and his accomplices used the synthetic marijuana K2, soaked in paper, to bribe their way into the Wyatt Detention Center. The scheme unraveled on December 1, 2023, when correctional officers seized tainted papers from Theresa Marie DiJoseph, an associate of Hart’s, as she attempted to enter the facility. The tainted papers were later confirmed by an FBI testing lab to contain Schedule I controlled substances.

Hart, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and obtaining or attempting to obtain prohibited objects as an inmate, faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence. His sentencing is scheduled for November 18, 2025. The exact length of his sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after careful consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Julianne Klein and Peter I. Roklan. The FBI and the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Center Professional Standards Unit led the investigation into the scheme.

The tragic incident raises concerns about the security and safety of the Wyatt Detention Center, a facility responsible for housing federal detainees. The incident has sparked an investigation into the events leading up to Hart’s confession and the subsequent seizure of tainted papers.

Theresa Marie DiJoseph, 51, Hart’s accomplice, pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance analogue, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and providing a prohibited object to an inmate on March 12, 2025. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2025.

Hart’s case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing battle against contraband smuggling in our nation’s detention centers. It is a grim reminder that those who seek to exploit the system will face the full force of the law.

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