Former New York City Correction Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Smuggle Contraband into Jail

Six Co-defendants Previously Pleaded Guilty for Their Participation in the Conspiracy

  Carl Noel, a former correction officer employed by the New York City Department of Correction (“DOC”), pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe Correction Officers at the Manhattan Detention Complex (“MDC”) in lower Manhattan.  The plea proceeding took place before United States District Judge Pamela K. Chen. 

Previously, co-defendants Christian Mizell, Warren Green, Patrick Johnson, Robert Martino, Malik Holloway and Asha Patterson pleaded guilty to the same charge for their roles in the conspiracy.  Noel was arrested on February 8, 2018, and he was dismissed from the DOC on February 21, 2018.  With Noel’s guilty plea today, all defendants charged in this conspiracy have entered guilty pleas.    

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), and Mark G. Peters, Commissioner, New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced the guilty pleas. 

As detailed in the indictment and other court filings, co-defendants Green and Johnson, both of whom were incarcerated at the MDC on charges unrelated to this conspiracy, arranged for marijuana and other contraband to be packaged and delivered covertly by co-defendants Martino, Holloway and Patterson to DOC Correction Officers Noel and Mizell.  In return, Noel and Mizell received thousands of dollars in bribes, among other benefits, from their co-defendants, to smuggle the narcotics past DOC security for eventual distribution inside the prison.

When sentenced, the defendants each face up to five years in prison, as well as fines of up to $250,000. 

The government’s case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Erik Paulsen of the Office’s Public Integrity Section and Nomi Berenson of the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.

The Defendants:

CARL NOEL
Age: 32
New York, New York

Christian MIzell
Age: 49
Queens, New York

WARREN GREEN
Age: 41
Pine City, New York

PATRICK JOHNSON
Age: 27
Bronx, New York

ROBERT MARTINO
Age: 37
Queens, New York

MALIK HOLLOWAY
Age: 23
Bronx, New York

ASHA PATTERSON
Age: 44
Queens, New York