Guards, Civilian Workers Took Bribes, Smuggled Jail Contraband: DA

WHITE PLAINS, NY — Westchester County Jail employees have found themselves on the wrong side of the law, according to corrections officials and prosecutors.

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah and Westchester County Department of Correction Commissioner Joseph K. Spano announced on Thursday that Westchester County Department of Correction (WCDOC) officers and civilian employees were arraigned on charges of accepting bribe payments and smuggling contraband to inmates at the Westchester County Jail in Valhalla.

A civilian employee at the Mount Vernon Police Department was also arraigned earlier this month on charges for smuggling contraband into the Mount Vernon Police Department Cell Block.

"These defendants put their own interests above the safety of incarcerated individuals, employees, civilians, and other correction officers," Rocah said. "Our jails become less safe when correction officers and others in position of public trust accept bribes to smuggle in contraband. We commend the Westchester County Department of Correction for working with my Office to ensure these individuals face serious consequences."

Five defendants were arrested by the DA’s Office Criminal Investigators Squad on June 11 and arraigned on June 20 in Mount Pleasant Justice Court on the following charges:

• Peter Cumberbatch, 39, of New Rochelle, a Westchester County correction officer at the Westchester County Jail, was charged with felony third degree bribe receiving and misdemeanor second degree promoting prison contraband, for allegedly accepting an $800 payment from an associate of an incarcerated individual in exchange for smuggling contraband into the jail in March 2023. He was suspended following his arrest and is being scheduled for an employment termination hearing.
• Shakia Smythe, 32, of Peekskill, a Westchester County correction officer at the Westchester County Jail, was charged with two counts of third degree bribe receiving and second degree promoting prison contraband for allegedly accepting multiple payments, totaling more than $500, from an associate of an incarcerated individual in exchange for smuggling contraband into the jail between June and August 2022. She was suspended following her arrest and is being scheduled for an employment termination hearing.
• Wilfredo Gonzague, 36, of Briarcliff Manor, a former Westchester County correction officer at the Westchester County Jail, was charged with three counts of third degree bribe receiving and two counts of second degree promoting prison contraband for allegedly accepting payments, totaling more than $2,000, from an associate of an incarcerated individual in exchange for smuggling contraband into the jail between September 2022 and February 2023. He was terminated from the WCDOC on Feb. 7, 2023
• Sadari Holt, 30, of the Bronx, a former employee of a county-contracted vendor that provides commissary services to the Westchester County Jail, was charged with five counts of third degree bribe receiving and five counts of second degree promoting prison contraband for allegedly accepting multiple payments, totaling more than $1,500, from associates of two incarcerated individuals between December 2021 and April 2022. Holt’s security clearance was revoked by the WCDOC on Apr. 4, 2022.
• Shardae Moore, 35, of Yonkers, a former employee of a county-contracted vendor that provides commissary services to the Westchester County Jail, was charged with third degree bribe receiving for accepting a $500 payment from an associate of an incarcerated individual in December 2023. Moore’s security clearance was revoked by the WCDOC on Dec. 12, 2023.

On May 20, the DA’s Office Criminal Investigators Squad arrested Sean Rogers, 40, of Mount Vernon, a civilian jailor with the Mount Vernon Police Department, for allegedly delivering three cylindrical objects wrapped in electrical tape containing a leafy substance to an incarcerated individual awaiting a court appearance at the MVPD Cell Block on March 11.

Rogers was arraigned on the charge of second degree promoting prison contraband on June 3 in Mount Vernon City Court. His next court date is July 9.

The investigations into the incidents at the Westchester County Jail were conducted by the DA’s Office Public Integrity and Law Enforcement Integrity Bureau and the WCDOC Major Case Squad. The investigation into the incident at the MVPD Cell Block was conducted by the DA’s Office Public Integrity and Law Enforcement Integrity Bureau, the WCDOC Major Case Squad and the Mount Vernon Police Department.

"The involved correction officers have disgraced the shield that they once wore and violated the trust we put in them to uphold the law and work with integrity," Spano said. "I thank DA Rocah and her team for the great work they did investigating these cases and our Major Case Squad for providing valuable assistance."