FREEHOLD, NJ – A Shamong man who worked as a correctional officer at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution has pleaded guilty to providing inmates with drugs in chip bags, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.
Bryant Mack, 54, of Shamong, New Jersey, pled guilty to second-degree Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS).
“Mr. Mack violated his sworn duty to protect and serve when he brought contraband into the jail for his own personal gain. By doing so, he placed his fellow officers and other inmates at the jail in danger and justice requires that he take responsibility for his actions. I commend my staff and our law enforcement partners for their tireless work on this complicated investigation. Mr. Mack’s conduct is not indicative of the honest, hard-working, law enforcement officers who risk their lives daily to protect and serve our county,” Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago stated.
Mack will lose his job and be barred from serving as a public employee in New Jersey as a result of the plea.
According to investigators, Mack, who had been a corrections officer for 18 years, smuggled CDS and other contraband into the facility hidden in potato chip bags. He would provide the items to an inmate, who would then facilitate the distribution of the items throughout the jail.
“Mack’s criminal activity came to light on September 4, 2021, when officers caught two inmates with CDS and other contraband in their cells, and traced the items back to Mack. During his plea, Mack admitted that he entered into an agreement with an inmate to bring CDS and other contraband into the jail, in exchange for payment and that he brought a schedule 1 CDS into the facility on September 4, 2021,” according to court records.
“All members of the law enforcement profession have a duty to exhibit at all times the highest level of professionalism with honor and integrity. Any conduct that does not meet that expectation will not be tolerated” said Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden. “I’m proud of the correctional police officers who tirelessly serve this agency. An officer who violates his or her oath of office does a grave disservice to their co-workers, as well as the entire law enforcement profession, and will be held fully accountable with proper disciplinary action taken.”