A Department of Corrections officer was indicted Wednesday for smuggling marijuana and tobacco into a Rikers Island jail, in addition to tools giving inmates the ability to access vents, light fixtures and other likely hiding spots for drugs and blades, prosecutors said.
Officer Steven Davis, 43, pleaded not guilty to charges, including promoting prison contraband, conspiracy, bribe receiving, official misconduct, grand larceny, petit larceny, corrupting the government, defrauding the government and falsifying business records, during his arraignment at Bronx Supreme Court. Judge George Villegas ordered that Davis be released without bail.
“The defendants allegedly engaged in a scheme that provided an inmate with contraband that fuels violence behind bars,” said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. “These actions placed his fellow officers, other staff and inmates in jeopardy.”
In addition to the smuggling scheme, Davis is also charged with time theft for stealing nearly $8,000 in wages from the city.
Lorenzo Manuel, the 43-year-old Rikers inmate accused of accepting the contraband from Davis, and Manuel’s wife, Natasha Liang, 51, of Manhattan, who allegedly supplied the illicit goods and paid Davis bribes in excess of $5,000, are being charged with promoting prison contraband and conspiracy.
Liang pled not guilty to the charges and was released without bail. Her husband was still awaiting arraignment Wednesday.
Davis first used his authority to bypass security at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on July 3, 2024, when he delivered a carton of cigarettes, marijuana and a lighter to Manuel inside the facility’s 5 North housing area, prosecutors said.
The carton of cigarettes alone was worth $10,000 on the jail’s black market, according to a Bronx DA spokesperson.
In addition to the smokes, Davis brought Manuel special tools needed to unfasten specialized “security screws” used to secure vent covers, light fixtures and other appliances throughout the jail, inside which drugs and scalpels could be stashed, prosecutors said.
On Oct. 25, 2024, Davis met Laing in Harlem to collect payment and additional contraband, which he delivered to Manuel the following morning, prosecutors said.
The defendants are due back in court on Feb. 10.