Four juvenile center employees plead guilty to taking bribes and smuggling contraband

October 3, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

“These defendants prioritized their own financial interests above the safety and security of residents and co-workers,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. Photo: Kevin Wolf/AP

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Four former employees of the Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn, have pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and smuggling contraband, including drugs and weapons, into the facility. Da’Vante Bolton, Octavia Napier, Christopher Craig, and Nigel King — all Youth Development Specialists with the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) — admitted to charges in federal court in Brooklyn. The pleas came before United States District Judge Orelia Merchant.

“These defendants prioritized their own financial interests above the safety and security of residents and co-workers,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “This office and our law enforcement partners will not stop rooting out and prosecuting corruption in our city’s jails and juvenile detention facilities.”

The defendants accepted payments ranging from $2,000 to more than $20,000, using their positions to bring items like marijuana, razor blades, prescription pills and alcohol into Crossroads, where approximately 120 residents, aged 14 to 20, are detained. The residents at Crossroads are prohibited from possessing such items, and staff are supposed to undergo security screenings when entering the facility.

Crossroads Juvenile Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn, where four employees pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and smuggling contraband. Photo via Google Street View

Bolton, 31, of Queens, was the highest-paid of the group, receiving more than $20,000 in bribes since his employment with ACS began in March 2020. Craig, 37, of Brooklyn, who had worked at Crossroads since August 2018, accepted more than $5,000 in bribes for smuggling items such as marijuana and tobacco. King, 45, of Queens, received over $6,000 in exchange for smuggling marijuana, prescription pills and alcohol. Napier, 26, of Brooklyn, who was employed from June 2022 to May 2023, accepted more than $2,000 in bribes and allowed a resident to use her Cash App account to conduct illegal business inside the facility.

A fifth defendant, Roger Francis, 58, of Brooklyn, is still awaiting trial on related charges.

When sentenced, Bolton faces up to 10 years in prison, while Napier, Craig, and King each face up to five years. The case was investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office and the New York City Department of Investigation and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

The sentencing dates for Bolton, Napier, Craig, and King have not yet been set.