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Inmate sneaks back into jail: A New York man impersonated a corrections officer to sneak back into several New York jails, hanging out with prisoners and even giving them cigarettes.
A view of buildings on Rikers Island penitentiary complex on May 18, 2011. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)
New York officials accused a former inmate of sneaking back into several jails and prisons, impersonating a corrections officer.
Matthew Matagrano, 36, was arrested Saturday on charges that he impersonated an investigator with the Department of Correction, reported The Associated Press. He is accused of using phony credentials to get inside the facility on Rikers Island, the Manhattan Detention Center, and others.
Matagrano told authorities he gained entry into the Manhattan jail on Thursday by flashing a gold shield, saying he was an investigator. When inside, he gave cigarettes to inmates and smoked with them in a common area.
He also allegedly stole a radio and hung out with the prisoners for several hours.
“He was able to go to the main security trailer on several different days, show his ID, and drive his car across the bridge,” a source told the Village Voice. “He could have brought an arsenal onto the island. Anything could have been in the trunk of his car.”
The New York Post reported that Matagrano allegedly also moved inmates from one cell to another one.
“He was able to wander the jails for hours,” another source told the Village Voice. “He had complete access, walking around. This really brings to the forefront that we really should have listings of who works for who.”
In 2004, Matagrano was convicted of looking through student records at two schools in Queens while he posed as a Department of Education official, according to the Post. AP also reported that he was convicted of sexual assault.
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