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Brooklyn juvenile jail guard arrested for smuggling in cellphones, SIM cards
By
Bahar Ostadan
Published Feb 21, 2024
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By
Bahar Ostadan
Published Feb 21, 2024
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A guard at a Brooklyn juvenile jail was arrested Saturday for smuggling in cellphones and SIM cards, according to police and prosecutors — and officials said he has been fired by the city.
Corey Brooks, 37, snuck in the contraband for young detainees ranging from 12 to 21 years old, who then hid the purchases and their receipts inside radiators in their jail cells, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Brooklyn district attorney’s office.
Jorel Holland, executive director of operations at Crossroads Juvenile Detention Center, found the phones and SIM cards while conducting a search, according to the complaint.
Brooks made multiple purchases between Feb. 6 and Feb. 17, according to receipts that listed his name and credit card information, but police and prosecutors said they did not know how many phones and SIM cards he smuggled in.
The Flatbush resident was charged with two counts of promoting prison contraband. His attorney declined to comment. Brooks’ next court appearance is scheduled for May 9.
Marisa Kaufman, a spokesperson for the city’s Administration for Children’s Services, which runs the city’s two juvenile jails, said Brooks was fired.
"There are high standards when working with the youth in our care and we will continue to take every measure to ensure a safe environment for youth and hardworking staff. This behavior will not be tolerated,” Kaufman wrote in a statement, adding that the agency’s enhanced oversight policies helped uncover the contraband.
The Saturday arrest isn’t the Brownsville youth jail's first problem with contraband. Gothamist reported last year on a staff smuggling network that sources said involved employees at all levels — including leadership — who snuck in drugs, alcohol, cash and razor blades.
Teenage detainees used the smuggled phones to post videos and photos of marijuana and promethazine cough serum on Instagram, Gothamist confirmed at the time. Some detainees even use the phones to order Chick-fil-A and ask guards to pick it up for them from the jail lobby, guards said.
“You name it, they’ll bring it,” a former employee said, referring to staffers.
Contraband is just one of the issues plaguing the city’s youth jails. The sites are so overcrowded that teens are being forced to sleep on the ground in classrooms and hallways — and at least two detainees reported being assaulted, Gothamist reported last year.
An employee at the Bronx jail was arrested last April on charges of having sex with an 18-year-old detainee. In July, federal prosecutors charged two supervisors at the same jail with violently dragging, punching and stomping a 16-year-old detainee — then trying to cover it up.
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Bahar Ostadan
Bahar Ostadan covers the NYPD and public safety. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or message Bahar on Signal at 646-740-7335.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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