A former county corrections officer was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into the Essex County Correctional Facility, authorities say.
(file photo)NEWARK -- A former county corrections officer has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into the Essex County Correctional Facility, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced Wednesday.
John Grosso, 42, of Belleville, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to one count of conspiring to commit extortion, according to a statement released by Fishman's office.
Arrested in November 2014, Grosso later admitted that he accepted cash bribes of around $1,000 in exchange for smuggling various banned items, including cell phones and cigarettes, to an inmate at the jail, the release states.
According to court documents, Grosso met with the inmate's relative at a Secaucus Best Buy to accept the contraband and bribe before delivering the items.
Sentenced in Newark federal court, Grosso was ordered to one year of supervised release in addition to the prison term, the release states.
Court documents indicate that the scheme came to light after an unnamed prisoner "cooperated with law enforcement in the hopes of obtaining a more favorable outcome with respect to pending federal criminal charges."
Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
