Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer Indicted for Bribery
Defendant Allegedly Accepted Bribes from Inmates to Smuggle Contraband into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 - Earlier today, an indictment was unsealed charging Melissa Brooks, a correctional officer employed by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), with taking bribes as a public official and conspiracy to do the same. Brooks was assigned to the Metropolitan Detention Center located in Brooklyn, New York (MDC Brooklyn) and agreed to accept the illegal payments from inmates and others acting on behalf of inmates who were involved in smuggling contraband into the MDC. Brooks was arrested this morning and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Ryan Geach, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Region (DOJ-OIG); and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the indictment and arrest.
“As alleged, the defendant betrayed her duty as a correctional officer, endangering the safety of MDC staff and inmates, all to satisfy her own greed,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office is committed to rooting out corruption at all levels of government and will hold the defendant accountable for her actions.”
“It is critical to the safety and security of the federal prison system that Correctional Officers perform their work with honesty and integrity,” stated Special Agent in Charge Geach. “The DOJ OIG will continue to diligently work with its law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of bribery and other wrongdoing by prison staff,” stated DOJ-OIG Special Agent in Charge Geach.
“Inmate and officer safety is at direct risk if contraband is allowed to enter prisons. Allegedly, Corrections Officer Melissa Brooks was bribed to allow contraband into MDC, putting her own financial interests above the safety and security of those she was sworn to protect. The FBI will continue to root out such corruption, so that all of New York is a safer place,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
As alleged in the indictment, Brooks has been employed by the BOP as a correctional officer since July 2024. As a correctional officer, Brooks was responsible for maintaining security and good order within the MDC, including by ensuring that inmates did not possess contraband. Brooks’s conduct was governed by regulations prohibiting officers from accepting gifts or other things of value from inmates or their family members or associates. However, between July 2024 and December 2025, Brooks allegedly accepted cash payments from associates of MDC inmates on multiple occasions in return for smuggling contraband into the MDC. For example, on October 18, 2024, she received $5,000 via a peer-to-peer payment service from an individual who had received $5,000 just minutes earlier from the sister of an MDC inmate. And on December 15, 2025, she exchanged text messages with the same MDC inmate, who was using a contraband phone, in which the defendant recognized the potential consequences for her actions. After the inmate indicated that he thought Brooks was going to bring him contraband, she responded: “😂😂😂these mf are trying to throw my ass in jail baby.”
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of bribery, Brooks faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Wang is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Johnson Peow.
The Defendants:
MELISSA BROOKS
Age: 37
Brooklyn, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-280 (BMC)
Contact
John Marzulli
Denise Taylor
United States Attorney’s Office
(718) 254-6323
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York
