A Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) officer pleaded guilty in connection with the distribution of narcotics to inmates within the jail, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said on Wednesday.

Bryant Mack, 54, of Shamong, entered his guilty plea on Friday Nov. 18, in front of Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley, to: second-degree conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance (CDS).  At the time of his plea, Judge O’Malley entered an order forfeiting Mack’s job at MCCI and prohibiting him from holding public office again in the state of New Jersey.

A cooperative investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Responsibility and Bias Crime Bureau and the MCCI Special Investigations Division revealed that Mack, who had been a corrections officer for 18 years, had smuggled CDS and other contraband into the facility hidden in potato chip bags. 

He provided the drugs to an inmate, who would then facilitate the distribution of the drugs throughout the jail. Mack’s criminal activity came to light on Sept. 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 Sept. 4, 2021.

“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.”

Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago

Mack faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced before Judge O’Malley on April 21, 2023.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office

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