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Essex authorities arrest 13 accused in county jail smuggling ring


Newark: Authorities arrested 13 people including two Essex County jail corrections officers accused in a jailhouse smuggling ring that was akin to a concierge service, allowing prisoners to obtain cell phones, drugs and other contraband at will, law enforcement officials said.

The alleged ringleader, Essex County Corrections Officer Joseph Mastriani, 30, of Nutley, was the first to wind up in handcuffs this morning when he arrived at the jail for work, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the case.

Additional arrests unfolded through the morning in Essex, Union and Morris counties, officials said. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office has scheduled a 1 p.m. press conference.

While a complete list of those charged has not been released, the smuggling ring includes a Cedar Grove school teacher, a probation officer, a murder suspect and two people with known gang affiliations, officials said.

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office’s Professional Standards Bureau and Intelligence Units have spent at least the last five months investigating the smuggling ring, which has been supplying inmates at the county’s jail with everything from narcotics to cell phones, the officials said.

The contraband ring worked like room service, with two inmates inside the jail taking orders from members of the general population and passing the requests along to the corrections officers, the officials said. The corrections officers would send word to the other people involved in the scheme, including girlfriends of the corrections’ officers, girlfriends of inmates and known gang members, who would buy the items outside.

The goods were then returned to the corrections officers, who would pass the items to the two prisoners for distribution throughout the facility, the officials said.

"This is a sad day, especially because it happened under our noses," said Joe Amato, president of the Essex County corrections officers union, Local 382. "As far as we’re concerned, the jail is a little safer today. The PBA has zero tolerance for this kind of stuff."

He said the arrested officers are not qualified for legal representation. "We represent officers for infractions that come under duty of their job. We do not represent people who violate the law, who violate the trust given to them."

Mastriani was the subject of a criminal investigation once before, when he and five other corrections officers faced a grand jury in 2005 for their involvement in a staged "boxing match" with a 34-year-old inmate at the facility. None of the officers were indicted, and it is not clear what disciplinary charges Mastriani faced, if any.

One of the two inmates involved in the scheme was identified this morning as 20-year-old Wilbert Best, who is awaiting trial in the 2009 shooting death of an East Orange man, according to the officials.

Best was charged with murder and weapons offenses in May of 2009 after Newark Police arrested him in connection with the slaying of Kenneth Kelly last year.

His involvement sparked concerns about witness intimidation that could be ordered by prisoners from within the complex. The officials pointed to the case of Anthony Kidd, a 38-year-old who allegedly ordered his ex-girlfriend’s death from inside New Jersey State Prison in 2005.

In June, authorities revealed that Kidd allegedly used a smuggled cell phone to order the slaying, illustrating an ongoing problem in correctional facilities nationwide.

Residents on Plymouth Road, where a female suspect was arrested this morning, said they have noticed strangers at the suspect's house to hand over packages.

"A lot of people would come on the street, talk to them and then leave," said one neighbor, who declined to give his name to protect his family.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino is expected to release more information this afternoon at the press conference at the Prosecutor’s Office headquarters in Newark.

Rohan Mascarenhas and Alexi Friedman contributed to this report.


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