Pictured Above: COBA Delegate CO Fisher, CO Iqbal, and CO Callaway
COBA President Benny Boscio Calls for the Drug Peddling Attorney to be Prosecuted to the Fullest Extent of the Law and For the Board of Correction to Prohibit Visitors from Bringing Paper Documents in the City’s Jails to People in Custody, as Well as Through the Mail. All Mail Should Be Scanned Into an Electronic Format or Copied.
EAST ELMHURST- On June 11th, at approximately 3:00pm, two attorneys, one of whom was from the Queens Defenders Office, entered the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island to visit their client, Luis DeJesus, who is charged with 2nd Degree Burglary.
Upon entering the security check point, DOC K-9 Brimma alerted her K-9 handler and the front gate officers to a yellow envelope placed near the guest sign-in book.
Correction Officer Calloway removed the items from the envelope and discovered multiple discolored legal sized papers.
Correction Officer Calloway and the other front gate officers detained the attorneys and called for officers from the Correction Intelligence Bureau (CIB) to remove the materials for further testing and to immediately arrest the attorneys.
Pictured Above: Correction Intelligence Bureau Officer Vasquez escorting drug peddling attorney Bernardo Caceres out of OBCC
K9 Correction Officers Joseph-Paine and Valeras conducted the testing and ultimately found over 130 pages that had tested positive for THC.
Attorney Bernardo Caseres from the Queens Defenders Office, was charged with promoting prison contraband, while the other attorney was found to have been unaware of the other attorney’s drug possession and was released from custody.
Commenting on this arrest, COBA President Benny Boscio said, “The fact that this attorney would brazenly attempt to smuggle in a large quantity of THC into one of our biggest jails is further proof of why paper documents brought by visitors should be scanned and downloaded electronically onto tablets before entering our facilities. This also includes moving towards paperless mail, which COBA has been calling for the Board of Correction to implement for many years. Our calls have fallen on deaf ears as BOC Member Bobby Cohen, in particular, has consistently opposed the DOC’s variance request that would have moved to paperless mail and made our facilities more secure. This attorney should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But allowing paper documents to continue to enter our facility only compromises the safety of everyone in our jails. This incident should serve as a loud wake up call to the BOC.”
President Boscio also praised the quick thinking and diligence of all the Correction Officers who were involved in this incident and who undoubtably helped save lives.
These officers include: OBCC front gate Correction Officers, Calloway, Fisher, and Iqbal, K9 Officers Joseph-Pauline, Valeras and CIB Officers Vasquez and Williamson.