A federal correctional officer at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, and the girlfriend of an inmate being held there have been charged with a bribery scheme to bring contraband into the facility.
Armando Moronta, employed by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, is alleged to have received cellular telephones and drugs — including the narcotic Suboxone and the synthetic narcotic K2 — as well as thousands of dollars in bribes from Alicia Alonso of Woodbridge, New Jersey.
On approximately 12 occasions between March 2016 and December 2016, Moronta is said to have smuggled the items to inmates under his guard for use and distribution.
The New York field offices of the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General and the FBI took part in the investigation. The charges were brought in federal court in the Eastern District of New York. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment.
