Two Rikers Island correction officers and a captain have been indicted in connection with the beating of an inmate and the alleged cover-up that followed.
Captain Moises Simancas, correction officer April Jackson and correction officer Tyrone Wint are all facing multiple felony charges for the assault, as well as charges of falsifying records.
Officials say in the fall of 2012, the officers allegedly cuffed inmate Gabino Genao’s hands behind his back, took him from his cell to a room without witnesses or cameras, and punched, kicked and beat him with a baton.
Prosecutors say the officers knocked out the prisoner, then lied about it.
“Medical experts were able to say that these wounds were caused by the baton, the kind of baton the correction officers are not supposed to be carrying in the prison, and we have their reports, which very clearly don’t square with the physical evidence that we saw,” said Department of Investigations Commissioner Mark Peters.
The three who are accused are out on bail. NY1 reached out to their unions for comment and hasn’t yet heard back. They could get jail time if convicted.
Peters said the incident is part of a larger cycle of lawlessness at the prison that also includes smuggling drugs and weapons.
“Correction officers not only engaging in violent acts and engaging in smuggling and contraband, but also falsifying evidence to covering all of this up which makes it all the harder to run a safe and secure prison,” he said.
Peters said while the assault was bad, he’s more concerned with falsifying evidence.
“What you got here is not just attack on an inmate. You’ve got an attack on the justice system, because the justice system cannot function when sworn law officers are falsifying evidence,” Peters said.
The Department of Correction is cooperating with the DOI in the investigation. Roughly 30 officers and inmates have been charged here so far. More arrests are expected later this month.
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via Great Local News: New York http://ift.tt/1iZiLP1
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