Six individuals involved in a corruption scheme at Rikers Island have been sentenced to prison, according to Matthew Podolsky, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The defendants, including former corrections officers Jason Skeet, Chantal De Los Santos, and Stephanie Davila; former program counselor Shanequa Washington; former contractor Kenneth Webster; and former inmate Kristopher Francisco, were charged with conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud.
U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield sentenced Davila to 12 months and a day in prison. The other five defendants received sentences ranging from 12 months to 40 months.
Acting U.S. Attorney Podolsky stated: “The defendants—former Rikers Island employees, a Rikers Island contractor, and an inmate—engaged in corruption on Rikers Island by agreeing to have contraband smuggled into the Rikers Island jail facilities in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. The defendants’ crimes contributed to a dangerous contraband market within Rikers Island, making Rikers Island less safe for inmates and officers alike."
Court documents revealed that the defendants participated in schemes involving smuggling controlled substances such as fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoids, cellphones, and cigarettes into the facility for financial gain. Each conspiracy involved an insider at Rikers who facilitated the smuggling process.
From January 2020 through June 2022, Skeet smuggled contraband approximately 100 times for over $45,000. Washington smuggled contraband from March 2022 through April 2022 for about $13,000. Webster was paid more than $64,000 between May 2022 and September 2022 for similar activities.
De Los Santos collaborated with Washington and Webster between March 2022 and June 2022 to pass contraband inside the facility. In July and August of 2021, Davila coordinated with a corrections officer referred to as "CC-1" to deliver contraband to Francisco while he was incarcerated at the Anna M. Kross Center.
Each defendant pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Podolsky commended the efforts of both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation in handling this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Z. Margulies and Jonathan Rebold are leading the prosecution under the Office’s Public Corruption Unit.