Guard Who Smuggled Cellphones Into Sing Sing Will Go To Prison

OSSINING, NY — A former prison guard will do time after pleading guilty to smuggling contraband at work.

Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace says that a former correction officer at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility, in Ossining, was sentenced on Thursday to one to three years in state prison over a scheme to smuggle cellphones into the facility to the inmates.

Jose Estevez-Luciano, 35, of Yorktown Heights, pleaded guilty in November to one count each of fifth degree conspiracy, second degree bribe receiving, first degree promoting prison contraband and official misconduct.

"Correction officers are entrusted with maintaining facility safety and protecting incarcerated individuals, staff and visitors, in part by rooting out contraband," Cacace said. "Scheming to undermine these safeguards, all for personal enrichment, makes our prisons less safe and erodes public trust in government."

SEE ALSO: DA: Correction Officer, Accomplice Smuggled Contraband Into Sing Sing

Estevez-Luciano and 25-year-old Francis De La Cruz, of Sleepy Hollow, were initially charged in a 40-count indictment with conspiring to smuggle cellphones to inmates at Sing Sing, in exchange for payment from the inmates' associates, between October 2021 and August 2023.

The pair exchanged messages as part of the conspiracy, planning their smuggling operation and discussing how to avoid detection.

In one message, Estevez-Luciano told De La Cruz to not send screenshots of his discussions with inmates' associates about the smuggling operation.

"When they send you a photo, don't send it to me," Estevez-Luciano said. "Send me regular because they are investigating and checking all phones."

De La Cruz pleaded guilty in November to two counts in the indictment, and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6.

This case was investigated by the Public and Law Enforcement Integrity Bureau of the Westchester County District Attorney's Office and the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Office of Special Investigations.

"The vast majority of correction officers are law-abiding public servants who work a thankless, often dangerous, job, day in and day out," the district attorney said. "Correction staff who flout the law are the exception, not the rule. But we will not hesitate to pursue cases against officers who breach their oath of office."