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…
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