Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer Indicted for Bribery

The U.S. Department of Justice reports in its press release (quotation, not an independent finding): “Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed charging Melissa Brooks, a correctional officer employed by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), with taking bribes as a public official and conspiracy to do the same. Brooks was assigned to the Metropolitan Detention Center located in Brooklyn, New York (MDC Brooklyn) and agreed to accept the illegal payments from inmates and others acting on behalf of inmates who were involved in smuggling contraband into the MDC. Brooks was arrested this morning and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho. Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Ryan Geach, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Region (DOJ-OIG); and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the indictment and arrest. “As alleged, the defendant betrayed her duty as a correctional officer, endangering the safety of MDC staff and inmates, all to satisfy her own greed,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office is committed to rooting out corruption at all levels of government and will hold the defendant accountable for her actions.” “It is critical to the safety and security of the federal prison system that Correctional Officers perform their work with honesty and integrity,” stated Special Agent in Charge Geach. “The DOJ OIG will continue to diligently work with its law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of bribery and other wrong”