Six Defendants Sentenced To Prison For Corruption At Rikers Island

Press Release Six Defendants Sentenced To Prison For Corruption At Rikers Island Monday, March 10, 2025 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the sentences imposed on former Rikers Island corrections officers JASON SKEET, CHANTAL DE LOS SANTOS, and STEPHANIE DAVILA; former Rikers Island program counselor SHANEQUA WASHINGTON; former Rikers Island contractor KENNETH WEBSTER; and former Rikers Island inmate KRISTOPHER FRANCISCO, each for conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud in connection with their involvement in corruption at Rikers Island. The last of the defendants to be sentenced, DAVILA, was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison today by U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield. The remaining five defendants were previously sentenced to terms of prison ranging from 12 months to 40 months. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “The defendants—former Rikers Island employees, a Rikers Island contractor, and an inmate—engaged in corruption on Rikers Island by agreeing to have contraband smuggled into the Rikers Island jail facilities in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. The defendants’ crimes contributed to a dangerous contraband market within Rikers Island, making Rikers Island less safe for inmates and officers alike. The sentences imposed in this case demonstrate this Office’s commitment to hold accountable those who criminally abuse their positions of public trust and undermine the security of jails for their own benefit.”According to the Complaints, Informations, public court filings, and statements made in court:SKEET, DE LOS SANTOS, DAVILA, WASHINGTON, WEBSTER, and FRANCISCO engaged in conspiracies to smuggle contraband, including, among other things, controlled substances—such as fentanyl, marijuana, and synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as “K2”—cellphones, and cigarettes, into Rikers Island in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribe payments. Each of the charged conspiracies involved a Rikers Island insider—either a corrections officer, program counselor, or contractor—who was responsible for smuggling contraband into the facility; a co-conspirator outside of Rikers Island who provided the contraband and/or bribe payments to the insider; and an inmate co-conspirator who received the contraband smuggled by the insider. The inmate who received the contraband from the insider typically sold at least part of the contraband to other inmates inside Rikers Island, in exchange for thousands of dollars in payments to the inmate or the inmate’s co-conspirators. In particular:From at least January 2020 through June 2022, SKEET, who was then a corrections officer assigned to the Northern Infirmary Command on Rikers Island, smuggled contraband into Rikers Island approximately 100 times in exchange for more than $45,000.From at least March 2022 through April 2022, WASHINGTON, who was then a program counselor assigned to the Robert N. Davoren Center on Rikers Island, smuggled contraband into Rikers Island in exchange for approximately $13,000.From at least May 2022 through September 2022, WEBSTER, who was then an employee of a Rikers Island contractor and a former Rikers Island inmate , smuggled contraband into Rikers Island in exchange for more than $64,000.From at least March 2022 through June 2022, DE LOS SANTOS, who was then a former Rikers Island corrections officer, passed contraband and made bribe payments to WASHINGTON and WEBSTER, so that they would smuggle the contraband to inmates inside Rikers Island.From at least July 2021 through August 2021, DAVILA, who was then a former Rikers Island corrections officer, passed contraband and made bribe payments to a Rikers Island corrections officer (“CC-1”), so that CC-1 would smuggle the contraband to FRANCISCO inside Rikers Island.From at least July 2021 through August 2021, FRANCISCO, who was then an inmate incarcerated in the Anna M. Kross Center on Rikers Island, directed DAVILA to provide bribe payments and contraband to CC-1, so that CC-1 would smuggle contraband to FRANCISCO inside Rikers Island.* * *Each of the defendants pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. A chart containing the sentences that the defendants received is set forth below.Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation.The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Z. Margulies and Jonathan Rebold are in charge of the prosecution. DefendantAgeSentence of ImprisonmentStephanie Davila3112 months and a dayChantal De Los Santos3115 monthsKristopher Francisco2937 monthsJason Skeet4737 monthsShanequa Washington4012 months and a dayKenneth Webster4341 months Contact Nicholas Biase, Shelby Wratchford(212) 637-2600 Updated March 10, 2025 Topic Public Corruption Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 25-053

Press Release Six Defendants Sentenced To Prison For Corruption At Rikers Island Monday, March 10, 2025 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the sentences imposed on former Rikers Island corrections officers JASON SKEET, CHANTAL DE LOS SANTOS, and STEPHANIE DAVILA; former Rikers Island program counselor SHANEQUA WASHINGTON; former Rikers Island contractor KENNETH WEBSTER; and former Rikers Island inmate KRISTOPHER FRANCISCO, each for conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud in connection with their involvement in corruption at Rikers Island. The last of the defendants to be sentenced, DAVILA, was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison today by U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield. The remaining five defendants were previously sentenced to terms of prison ranging from 12 months to 40 months. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “The defendants—former Rikers Island employees, a Rikers Island contractor, and an inmate—engaged in corruption on Rikers Island by agreeing to have contraband smuggled into the Rikers Island jail facilities in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. The defendants’ crimes contributed to a dangerous contraband market within Rikers Island, making Rikers Island less safe for inmates and officers alike. The sentences imposed in this case demonstrate this Office’s commitment to hold accountable those who criminally abuse their positions of public trust and undermine the security of jails for their own benefit.”According to the Complaints, Informations, public court filings, and statements made in court:SKEET, DE LOS SANTOS, DAVILA, WASHINGTON, WEBSTER, and FRANCISCO engaged in conspiracies to smuggle contraband, including, among other things, controlled substances—such as fentanyl, marijuana, and synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as “K2”—cellphones, and cigarettes, into Rikers Island in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribe payments. Each of the charged conspiracies involved a Rikers Island insider—either a corrections officer, program counselor, or contractor—who was responsible for smuggling contraband into the facility; a co-conspirator outside of Rikers Island who provided the contraband and/or bribe payments to the insider; and an inmate co-conspirator who received the contraband smuggled by the insider. The inmate who received the contraband from the insider typically sold at least part of the contraband to other inmates inside Rikers Island, in exchange for thousands of dollars in payments to the inmate or the inmate’s co-conspirators. In particular:From at least January 2020 through June 2022, SKEET, who was then a corrections officer assigned to the Northern Infirmary Command on Rikers Island, smuggled contraband into Rikers Island approximately 100 times in exchange for more than $45,000.From at least March 2022 through April 2022, WASHINGTON, who was then a program counselor assigned to the Robert N. Davoren Center on Rikers Island, smuggled contraband into Rikers Island in exchange for approximately $13,000.From at least May 2022 through September 2022, WEBSTER, who was then an employee of a Rikers Island contractor and a former Rikers Island inmate , smuggled contraband into Rikers Island in exchange for more than $64,000.From at least March 2022 through June 2022, DE LOS SANTOS, who was then a former Rikers Island corrections officer, passed contraband and made bribe payments to WASHINGTON and WEBSTER, so that they would smuggle the contraband to inmates inside Rikers Island.From at least July 2021 through August 2021, DAVILA, who was then a former Rikers Island corrections officer, passed contraband and made bribe payments to a Rikers Island corrections officer (“CC-1”), so that CC-1 would smuggle the contraband to FRANCISCO inside Rikers Island.From at least July 2021 through August 2021, FRANCISCO, who was then an inmate incarcerated in the Anna M. Kross Center on Rikers Island, directed DAVILA to provide bribe payments and contraband to CC-1, so that CC-1 would smuggle contraband to FRANCISCO inside Rikers Island.* * *Each of the defendants pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. A chart containing the sentences that the defendants received is set forth below.Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation.The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Z. Margulies and Jonathan Rebold are in charge of the prosecution. DefendantAgeSentence of ImprisonmentStephanie Davila3112 months and a dayChantal De Los Santos3115 monthsKristopher Francisco2937 monthsJason Skeet4737 monthsShanequa Washington4012 months and a dayKenneth Webster4341 months Contact Nicholas Biase, Shelby Wratchford(212) 637-2600 Updated March 10, 2025 Topic Public Corruption Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 25-053