CORRECTION OFFICER IS NOW BEING GUARDED BY CORRECTION OFFICERS

Corrections officer busted sneaking in razor to inmate on Rikers 

 

By Craig McCarthy

 

New York Post

October 8, 2021

 

 

Travis Simms is facing charges after allegedly smuggled in a razor blade for an inmate  

 

A New York City correction officer is facing charges after allegedly smuggled in a razor blade for an inmate on Rikers Island, the city’s top investigator said Friday.

Travis Simms, 33, of Brooklyn, was charged Wednesday with official misconduct and two counts of promoting prison contraband after Assistant Deputy Warden Denise Phillips at the George R. Vierno Center spotted a handoff between the guard and an inmate, according to the city’s Department of the Investigations.

The officer and inmate, identified as 31-year-old Johnathan Sanchez, were searched and a razer was found, officials said.

Sanchez was charged with two counts of promoting prison contraband and possession of a weapon according to the DOI.

“An observant and fast-acting Assistant Deputy Warden and her team helped stem the flow of contraband at a critical and challenging time in the City’s jails,” DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said. 

 

         An aerial view of the sprawling Rikers Island jail complex

 

DOC Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi called the incident “unconscionable, illegal, and dangerous.”

Simms has been a corrections officer since 2016 and makes $57,600 per year, officials said.