A six-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging
seven defendants with conspiring to bribe correction officers employed by the New York City
Department of Corrections (“DOC”) as part of a narcotics smuggling conspiracy. The
defendants’ arraignment is scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge
James Orenstein.
As alleged in the indictment, the defendants conspired to smuggle marijuana and
other contraband into DOC prison facilities with the assistance of New York City Department of
Correction Officers Christian Mizell and Carl Noel. Defendants Warren Green and Patrick
Johnson, both incarcerated on unrelated felony offenses, arranged for marijuana and other
contraband to be packaged and delivered covertly to the correction officers 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. This Office and our law
enforcement partners are committed to identifying and prosecuting corrupt correction officers
who accept bribes to smuggle contraband into prison facilities.”
“Drug traffickers are notorious for their smuggling methods, but this case
demonstrated the defendants’ ability to bypass security altogether,” stated DEA Special Agentin-Charge
Hunt. “With two correction officers as members of the organization, the defendants
allegedly pushed contraband into prison for resale to inmates. Today’s arrests are a result of law
enforcement partnerships and hard work.”
“This investigation demonstrates again a pattern of misconduct in our City’s jails:
outside civilians working with Correction Officers and DOC employees to smuggle narcotics and
other contraband to inmates on the inside,” stated DOI Commissioner Peters. “DOI and its
partners, including the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, have been cracking down on these
illegal operations to stem the flow of contraband, while also working towards critical reforms in
DOC’s front-gate screening protocols to shore up security at these facilities.”
“Due to the hard work and cooperation between law enforcement partners at all
levels, this smuggling conspiracy was uncovered and shut down,” stated NYSP Superintendent
Beach. “This sends a strong message that we will not tolerate such crimes, especially when they
are perpetuated by individuals in a place of authority who have been entrusted with upholding
the law. Such criminals will be prosecuted to the fullest.”
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum
sentence of five years imprisonment.
The Defendants:
CHRISTIAN MIZELL
Age: 48
Queens, New York
CARL NOEL Age: 32
New York, New York
WARREN GREEN Age: 40
Pine City, New York
PATRICK JOHNSON
Age: 27
Bronx, New York
ROBERT MARTINO Age: 37
Queens, New York
