35-YEAR-OLD ATLANTIC COUNTY CORRECTIONS OFFICER SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR GIVING AN INMATE A CELL PHONE
"Gerald Oquendo Was Sentenced Yesterday To A Term Of 3 Years In New Jersey State Prison For Smuggling Cell Phones Into The Jail."
Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 12:00 P.M. ET. By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
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MAYS LANDING, NJ.- Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds reported, on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, The Honorable Donna M. Taylor, J.S.C., Sentenced Gerald Oquendo, 35, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, to a Term of Three Years in New Jersey State Prison. The Sentence will require Mr. Oquendo to Serve Two Years before Becoming Eligible for Parole on The Charge of Official Misconduct. The Sentence will also require Mr. Oquendo to hold any Position of Public Employment again.
The sentence stems from an incident when Mr. Oquendo was Employed as a Corrections Officer at The Atlantic County Justice Facility. The incident occurred when Two Family Members of an Inmate working with Oquendo to Smuggle Cellular Phones into The Atlantic County Justice Facility where the Inmate was being housed in exchange for money. The Two Family Members and The Inmate were Captured on a Recorded Conversation discussing the Crime. Video Surveillance Captured Oquendo bringing an object to the Inmate.
Shortly after, a Search of The Inmate's Cell uncovered the Cell Phone and Mr. Oquendo was Charged. On October 10, 2023, Oquendo Pleaded Guilty to Official Misconduct.
"The defendant, a public servant entrusted with the care and custody of inmates within The Atlantic County Justice Facility, jeopardized the safety and security of the staff and inmates when he violated his oath of office and smuggled cellular devices, creating the possibility that inmates could engage in criminal activity from inside the walls of an otherwise secure facility," noted Prosecutor William Reynolds upon hearing of the sentence.
FILED UNDER: JANUARY 24, 2024: LAW, ATLANTIC: