A city corrections officer was indicted Wednesday on charges he smuggled more than $15,000 worth of contraband into Rikers Island, including 200 cigarettes and a cellphone, prosecutors said.
Kendell Felix, 37, is accused of accepting $3,000 in bribes from outsiders to smuggle illegal items into the prison and distribute them to inmates, according to the Bronx District Attorney's Office and law enforcement sources.
The estimated value of the contraband held in the jail is about $15,000, according to the district attorney's office.
Felix, who is assigned to the North Clinic Command Center, was summoned before Judge Shari Michels on charges of third-degree accepting bribes, first-degree promoting prison confidential items, two counts of second-degree promoting prison confidential items and official misconduct, according to prosecutors.
“With cigarettes selling for $50 to $100 a stick in Rikers Island, this contraband is extremely valuable and a source of violence,” said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
“Prison officers are alleged to have engaged in acts that facilitate crime within the prison.”
No other arrests have been made in connection with the scheme, officials said.
“This individual placed his own interests above the safety of those in custody, corrections staff and visitors,” Corrections Commissioner Lynelle McGinley Liddy said.
“When corrections officers accept bribes to smuggle contraband, our prisons are less safe, and I commend the Bronx District Attorney's Office for working with authorities to ensure this individual faces justice.”
Bureau Chief Jocelyn E. Strauber strongly condemned the officer, saying he “aided the illegal trade of contraband and endangered the safety of his fellow corrections officers and others in custody who were performing their duties in good faith.”
“We thank the Bronx County District Attorney's Office and the Department of Corrections for their assistance in this investigation.”
Felix is scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 4, prosecutors said.
