Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Defendant Stashed Marijuana and Cigarettes Inside Government-Issued Protective Vest
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, former federal correctional officer Najee Jackson pleaded guilty to attempted provision of contraband in prison. In January 2025, while working as a correctional officer at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn (MDC-Brooklyn), the defendant attempted to smuggle vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana and cigarettes into the facility inside his Bureau of Prisons-issued protective vest. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Orelia E. Merchant. When sentenced, Jackson faces up to five years in prison.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ryan T. Geach, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG), announced the guilty plea.
“The defendant admitted to bringing contraband into the very jail he was charged with protecting,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “His actions undermined the safety and security of his fellow correctional officers and the inmates at MDC-Brooklyn. As today’s conviction demonstrates, my Office will ensure that anyone who would abuse their position of trust at a federal prison is brought to justice.”
“The Office of the Inspector General remains committed to rooting out corruption within our federal prisons,” stated DOJ OIG Special Agent in Charge Geach. “Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that those who betray the trust and jeopardize the safety of their fellow correctional officers and citizens will face consequences for doing so.”
As set forth in court filings and on the record at today’s plea proceeding, Jackson became a correctional officer at MDC-Brooklyn in November 2023. On January 21, 2025, Jackson arrived at the jail around 12:15 a.m. to begin working a night shift. As with all staff members at MDC-Brooklyn, Jackson was required to pass through a metal detector and place his belongings on a conveyor belt that passes through an x-ray machine. Jackson made several failed attempts to clear the metal detector and eventually removed his Bureau of Prisons-issued protective vest, which was found to contain vacuum‑sealed bags of marijuana and cigarettes. Two days later, Jackson resigned from the Bureau of Prisons.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorney Russell Noble is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
NAJEE JACKSON
Age: 32
Brooklyn, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-67 (OEM)