Former Correctional Officer Charged with Smuggling Contraband into Brooklyn Federal Jail

 

Defendant Allegedly Attempted to Provide Nearly 10 Ounces of Marijuana to Inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center

 A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Jeremy Monk, a former correctional officer employed by the United States Bureau of Prisons (BOP), with attempting to provide contraband to prison inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.  Monk was arrested this morning, and his initial appearance is scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Ryan T. Geach, Special Agent-in-Charge, United States Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General (DOJ-OIG), and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges.

“As alleged, the defendant violated his oath and duty as a correctional officer by smuggling narcotics into the Metropolitan Detention Center,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “This Office, together with our law enforcement partners, are committed to maintaining the safety for incarcerated individuals and BOP employees, and will prosecute those who act as conduits for contraband into a correctional facility.” 

“Monk allegedly smuggled drugs into the prison, creating a dangerous environment for his fellow correctional officers, inmates, and the public.  The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General will continue to investigate and uncover these kinds of bribery schemes,” stated DOJ-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Geach.

“As alleged, Mr. Monk put both his fellow corrections officers and the Metropolitan Detention Center’s inmate population at risk by engaging in a scheme to smuggle contraband, including illegal drugs, into the facility. As law enforcement officials, we all take an oath to uphold the law and protect our nation. Mr. Monk chose to violate that oath, and he will now face justice for the crimes we allege he committed,” FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Driscoll.

As alleged in the complaint, Monk worked as a correctional officer at the MDC from May 2020 until he resigned on April 18, 2022.  Three days before he resigned, on April 15, 2022, MDC staff learned that Monk was supposed to be paid $10,000 by inmates to smuggle contraband, specifically drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, into the MDC and leave it in a staff restroom.  That afternoon, Monk went to the staff restroom consistent with the information MDC staff received.  After Monk left the restroom, MDC staff secured and searched the location and found more than nine ounces of marijuana hidden on a shelf under cleaning materials. Prior to reporting to work on April 18, 2022, Monk called the MDC’s Human Resources department and stated that he wanted to immediately resign. When asked why he was resigning, the defendant stated, in sum and substance, because of “some stupid investigation.”

As alleged, Monk had also smuggled contraband into the MDC on prior occasions.  On December 5, 2020, the MDC staff members conducted a search of the cell of an incarcerated individual (Inmate-1) due to the odor of marijuana coming from his cell.  Although no marijuana was found, the MDC staff recovered a cellular telephone, which is also contraband in a correctional facility.  Financial records show that three days before the MDC staff recovered the cellular telephone, an associate of Inmate‑1 attempted to pay Monk for smuggling the contraband via Cash App seven times in amounts ranging from $750 to $4,000. All seven transactions were blocked by Cash App. 

The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, Monk faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. 

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating Covid-19 - AUGUST 2, 2022

 

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Boosters, Testing, and Treatment

46 Statewide Deaths Reported from 7/30 to 08/01

 NOTE: Beginning June 24, 2022, the Vaccine data will be updated weekly on Fridays to align with CDC's updated data refresh schedule. For additional information on COVID-19 Vaccination Data provided by CDC, see https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-total-admin-rate-total.

Important Note: HERDS data collection from health care facilities was paused due to the weekend from 7/30/2022-07/31/2022. Data from those days were submitted in Monday's report. Where noted, totals include three days of cumulative data from 07/30/2022-08/01/2022. As a result, some data may appear higher than recent trends. Data affected is marked with an asterisk.

Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.

"We're continuing to prepare for any potential COVID-19 surges this fall, but New Yorkers must also make their own preparations and take advantage of the tools to keep themselves and their loved ones safe and healthy," Governor Hochul said. "I encourage those who are not up to date on their vaccine and booster doses to get caught up immediately. Take a test if you feel unwell, and if you do test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:   

• Cases Per 100k - 22.41
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 31.10
• Test Results Reported - 43,577
• Total Positive - 4,380
• Percent Positive - 9.65%**  

• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 8.64%**

• Patient Hospitalization - 2,698 (+33)*
• Patients Newly Admitted - 986
• Patients in ICU - 248 (-11)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 84 (-1)
• Total Discharges - 326,884 (+776)*
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 46*
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 57,112*

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.  

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.    

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.  

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 72,847

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.      

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:      

Borough	Saturday, July 30, 2022	Sunday, July 31, 2022	Monday,   Aug. 1, 2022
Bronx	9.28%	9.32%	9.20%
Kings	7.52%	7.34%	7.28%
New York	7.08%	7.07%	7.05%
Queens	9.61%	9.47%	9.33%
Richmond	8.59%	8.42%	8.31%

Attorney General James Takes Action to Crack Down on Rampant Robocalls and Protect Consumers Nationwide

 

AG James and Bipartisan Coalition of Attorneys General Form National Anti-Robocall Litigation Taskforce

AG James Offers Tips to Help New Yorkers Identify and Avoid Scam Calls

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today took action to crack down on rampant robocalls and protect consumers nationwide. Attorney General James joined a coalition of 50 attorneys general to form a nationwide, bipartisan Anti-Robocall Litigation Taskforce to investigate and take legal action against telecommunications companies responsible for enabling a majority of foreign robocalls into the United States. The taskforce will work to cut down on illegal robocalls made to consumers nationwide. 

“Robocalls are more than just a nuisance, they are used to scam seniors and defraud consumers,” said Attorney General James. “Across the country, phones are ringing off the hook with robocalls that sound legitimate but are actually a fraud. New Yorkers should not have to worry about being scammed whenever they answer their phone. I am proud to join this coalition to dial up our efforts to block these unwanted calls and protect consumers nationwide.”

According to the National Consumer Law Center and Electronic Privacy Information Center, over 33 million scam robocalls target Americans every day. These scam calls include Social Security Administration fraud against seniors, Amazon scams against consumers, and many other scams often targeting vulnerable groups. These calls typically involve scammers falsely impersonating government agencies or well-known companies to deceive recipients. An estimated $29.8 billion dollars was stolen through scam calls in 2021. Most of this scam robocall traffic originates overseas. The Task Force is focused on shutting down the providers that profit from this illegal scam traffic and refuse to take steps to otherwise mitigate these scam calls.

The Task Force has issued 20 civil investigative demands to 20 gateway providers and other entities that are allegedly responsible for a majority of foreign robocall traffic. Gateway providers that bring foreign traffic into the U.S. telephone network have a responsibility to ensure the traffic is legal, but these providers are not taking sufficient action to stop robocall traffic. In many cases, they appear to be intentionally turning a blind eye in return for steady revenue. The Task Force will focus on the bad actors throughout the telecommunications industry to reduce the flow of illegal robocalls to New Yorkers.

Today’s action builds on Attorney General James’ commitment to end illegal and unwanted calls. In 2021, Attorney General James co-led a bipartisan coalition of 47 attorneys general in urging Congress to pass the Fraud and Scam Reduction Act, which included provisions addressing robocalls.

Attorney General James offers the following tips to avoid scams and unwanted calls:

•   Be wary of callers who specifically ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency. For example, the Internal Revenue Service does not accept iTunes gift cards.
•   Look out for prerecorded calls from imposters posing as government agencies. Typically, the Social Security Administration does not make phone calls to individuals.
•   If you suspect fraudulent activity, immediately hang up and do not provide any personal information.
•   To report a scam, file an online complaint with the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Bureau of Consumer Frauds.

NYPD Announces Participation in National Night Out Against Crime Tuesday, August 2, 2022,

 

On Tuesday, August 2, 2022, communities in New York City and throughout the United States will celebrate the 39th anniversary of National Night Out Against Crime. National Night Out was designed to heighten crime- and drug-prevention awareness, generate support for and participation in local anti-crime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit, enhance police-community partnerships, and send a message to criminals letting them know that the communities are organized and are fighting back. All precincts, police service areas, and transit districts – in conjunction with community residents – will be hosting events. Participants can look forward to crime-prevention information and presentations, receiving Kid Care ID Kits, Operation Safe Child, and having NYPD units such as the Canine, Harbor, Emergency Service, and Highway units on display. Adults can also sign up for volunteer programs such as the Auxiliary Police Program, while young people can sign up for the Law Enforcement Exploring Program, as well as others. Entertainment, giveaways, contests, and refreshments will be provided. The public can visit the NYPD’s website www.nyc.gov/nypd for a list of event locations.

Join the NYPD and city officials at more than 70 locations citywide on National Night Out Against Crime, Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships to help make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. It seeks to strengthen the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement, fostering a true sense of community.

Enjoy barbeque and bounce houses, face painting, food, and fun. Meet leaders and personnel from your local precinct and interact with neighbors, community members, and local businesses with the common goal of partnership and safety.