A former federal corrections officer will spend two and a half years in prison for smuggling illegal contraband into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park.
Quandelle Joseph was arrested last spring on felony charges including bribery as a public official, conspiracy to bribe a public official, and possessing contraband in prison.
An investigation found that Joseph, 34, had been sneaking narcotics, cigarettes, and cell phones into the facility since December 2020 — just six months into his employment at MDC.
“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,”said Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “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.”
In December 2020, per court documents, other officers smelled marijuana in a cell shortly after Joseph had dropped a bedroll off there.
Though they didn’t find drugs, they did find a contraband cell phone and took the inmate to a special unit. As they walked the inmate through the halls, Joseph approached them and asked to search other cells — a request the other officers denied.
An investigation found that Joseph had been texting with incarcerated people and their loved ones to sell items and receive payment, and at least once sold contraband to an inmate who later sold it to others at MDC. He also warned his customers about cell searches ahead of time, texting one in January 2021: “Tighten up search comin clean phones out call logs n text n try to stash it,” and “keep your phones cleannnnnnnnnn erase texts and call logs every night.”
Four of five charges against Joseph were dropped as part of a plea deal, and he pleaded guilty in January to accepting bribes as a public official. On July 30, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of post-release supervision.
“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,” said Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge at the Federal Bureau of Investigations. “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.”
On Aug. 5, court records show, Joseph’s lawyer submitted an appeal for his sentencing, though the document does not state what alternative sentencing he is seeking.
