Former corrections officer Ghislaine Barrientos has been sentenced to a six-month prison term followed by six months of home detention for accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling narcotics and contraband into Rikers Island. This sentence was delivered in federal court by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods after Barrientos pleaded guilty to the charges.
Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew Podolsky, addressed the conviction: "Ghislaine Barrientos smuggled drugs and other contraband into Rikers Island in exchange for more than ten thousand dollars in bribes. Barrientos not only abused her position of public trust as a corrections officer, she made Rikers Island less safe for inmates and officers alike. Corrupt corrections officers have no place in our jail facilities, and this Office will continue to work to rid our jails of those who take advantage of their positions to enrich themselves."
Evidence from the court proceedings and other documents revealed that Barrientos, a former officer with the New York City Department of Correction, collaborated with others to smuggle items such as cocaine, synthetic cannabinoids known as "K2", and food to inmates at the Robert N. Davoren Complex on Rikers Island. Her illegal activities were financially rewarded with payments totaling over ten thousand dollars.
Aside from her sentence, Barrientos, who is 37 and resides in Mount Vernon, New York, has been ordered to forfeit $11,866. Mr. Podolsky commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation in bringing this case to fruition.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Coyle has been overseeing the prosecution of this case, managed by the Office's Public Corruption and Narcotics Units.