TRENTON –Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a former senior correctional police officer at Northern State Prison in Newark, N.J., was sentenced to prison today for smuggling fentanyl and marijuana to an inmate in the prison in exchange for money.
Roberto Reyes-Jackson, 31, of Irvington, N.J., was sentenced to four years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Verna G. Leath in Essex County. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 10, 2019 to conspiracy to commit official misconduct. He forfeited his job as a result of his guilty plea and is permanently barred from public employment in New Jersey.
Deputy Attorney General Samantha McCluskey prosecuted the case and handled the sentencing for the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). Reyes-Jackson was indicted in 2017 in an investigation by OPIA and the Department of Corrections Special Investigations Division.
The state’s investigation revealed that between September and December 2016, Reyes-Jackson smuggled multiple single-dose wax folds of a powder compound laced with fentanyl to inmate Aaron Copeland. He also smuggled a small amount of marijuana to Copeland. The smuggling came to light in December 2016, when prison staff discovered a bag of marijuana in Copeland’s cell and two wax folds of fentanyl. A full search of the cell revealed additional marijuana and fentanyl. The investigation revealed that Reyes-Jackson accepted hundreds of dollars in bribes from Copeland’s girlfriend, Tyeesha Powell, to smuggle drugs into the prison. Copeland, in turn, distributed the drugs to other inmates, who paid him by having friends or relatives outside the prison wire money to Powell.
“By agreeing to smuggle fentanyl to an inmate in Northern State Prison, Reyes-Jackson put lives at risk,” said Attorney General Grewal. “Fentanyl is so potent that minute amounts can result in overdose and death. This prison sentence holds Reyes-Jackson accountable for betraying his duty and callously disregarding the safety and welfare of his fellow officers as well as inmates in the prison.”
“When a correction officer conspires with an inmate to break the law, it poses a grave threat to safety and security in the prison, particularly when a dangerous drug like fentanyl is involved,” said Director Thomas Eicher of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. “We will continue to work closely with the Department of Corrections to ensure that any officer who corruptly compromises safety in a correctional facility is aggressively investigated and prosecuted.”
“We have an uncompromising commitment to ensuring safety in our facilities and a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who violates that safety,” said New Jersey Department of Corrections Commissioner Marcus O. Hicks, Esq. “The overwhelming majority of the New Jersey Department of Corrections staff operate with integrity. Those who do not must be held accountable for their actions.”
Copeland, 31, of Newark, pleaded guilty previously to a charge of distribution of fentanyl and faces a recommended sentence of three years in prison, including one year of parole ineligibility, to run consecutive to the sentence he is currently serving. Powell, 34, of Pleasantville, N.J., pleaded guilty previously to distribution of fentanyl and faces a recommended sentence of probation. They are awaiting sentencing.
Former Deputy Attorney General Peter Baker presented the case to the state grand jury. Attorney General Grewal commended all of the investigators, detectives and attorneys who conducted the investigation for the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability and the Department of Corrections Special Investigations Division. Senior Investigator Patrick Sesulka and Deputy Chief Investigator Edward Soltys conducted the investigation for the Department of Corrections.
