Defendants “Fished” for Contraband from Fourth-Floor Window of the Federal Prison
In federal court in Brooklyn, Daryl Campbell was sentenced by United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis to 37 months in prison for orchestrating a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Metropolitan Detention Center (the MDC). Campbell pleaded guilty in September 2025 to conspiracy to possess contraband. The sentence imposed today will run consecutive to the 35-year term he is serving for a manslaughter conviction in New York County. Campbell’s co‑defendants and fellow MDC inmates Ian Diez, Jonathan Guerrero, Abel Mora, and Mayovanex Rodriguez were previously sentenced to terms of incarceration ranging from six months to 30 months. A sixth co-conspirator, Carl Kelly, is awaiting sentencing.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the sentence.
“The message to inmates from today’s sentencing is clear: go fishing for contraband, and all you will catch is another prison term,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The smuggling of drugs and weapons by inmates compromises the safety and security of the MDC. Our Office will continue to ensure that any inmates who smuggle contraband will be prosecuted and face the consequences.”
Mr. Nocella thanked the U.S. Bureau of Prisons for its assistance with the investigation.
“Daryl Campbell jeopardized the safety of other inmates and employees by obtaining illegal drugs and weapons while incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center. May today's sentencing emphasize the FBI's commitment to holding accountable individuals who smuggle contraband into our federal jails,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
Between April and June 2024, Campbell used a contraband cell phone to send detailed instructions to his co-conspirators on how to bring additional contraband into the MDC. As the organizer of the scheme, Campbell advised co-conspirators on how to package contraband, to deliver it to the MDC, and to get it into the jail, providing advice and guidance along the way as to how to accomplish each step in the process. In several voice recordings, Campbell explained his method of throwing a “line” out of a window of the MDC on to which a co-conspirator on the outside was to “hook” contraband, which could then be pulled back inside. On June 30, 2024, Kelly, Diez, Guerrero, Mora, and Rodriguez attempted to execute Campbell’s scheme. Kelly approached the front of the MDC and threw a rope made of duct tape up to the fourth floor, where Diez, Guerrero, Mora, and Rodriguez tried to pull it through the window of the recreation room in their housing area. Inside of the rope, correctional officers found papers laced with MDMB-4en-Pinaca (a synthetic cannabinoid), suboxone, marijuana, a scalpel, a phone charger, lighters, and cigarettes.
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