Prosecutors charged five Westchester County Jail workers Wednesday in a corruption and bribery case, the New York Post reported.
A group of employees at the Westchester County Jail, including corrections officers and commissary workers, have been charged with bribery, according to New York Post. The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office announced that two current officers and three former employees — a guard and two civilian commissary staff — were implicated in the case, facing third-degree bribe receiving charges.
Five NY jail workers charged in bribery scheme that included corrections officers: prosecutors https://t.co/hIROYxX5r5 pic.twitter.com/vp8TfrWaCH
— New York Post (@nypost) June 12, 2024
They were released on desk-appearance tickets, with their arraignment scheduled June 20. Sources identified corrections officers Peter Cumberbatch and Sharia Smythe among those implicated in the case, the outlet stated. Attempts to contact the suspects for comments were unsuccessful, and there was no immediate response from the Westchester County Corrections Officer Benevolent Association. (RELATED: Five Convicted In $250M Fraud Case Amid Juror Bribery Incident)
Details of the alleged bribery remain undisclosed by the authorities. However, the incident prompted a stern response from local officials. Westchester County Corrections Commissioner Joe Spano, in a statement to The Post, expressed his distress over the breach of trust.
CHINO, CA – DECEMBER 10: California Department of Corrections officer looks on as inmates at Chino State Prison exercise in the yard December 10, 2010 in Chino, California. The U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments to appeal a federal court’s ruling last year that the California state prison system would have to release 40,000 prisoners to cope with overcrowding so severe that it violated their human rights. More than 144,000 inmates are currently incarcerated in prisons that were designed to hold about 80,000. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
“It’s obviously very upsetting to learn that some of our employees made conscious decisions to engage in criminal activity that compromised the safety of our staff and the individuals in our care,” Spano said, New York Post stated.
“The involved correction officers not only violated their oath of office and the trust we put in them. They also tarnished the reputations of all honest and dedicated correction officers,” he added, according to New York Post.