Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office

                                 25 Kirkpatrick Street, 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901 (732) 745-3300

 

                                *News Release*          Date: August 10, 2009

 
 

 

 

 


Officer charged with smuggling cell phones to Latin Kings inmate

 

 

          Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan and George Hayman, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Corrections, today announced the arrest of an East Jersey State Prison corrections officer who was charged with supplying at least two cell phones to an inmate.

 

          Glenn Adams, (DOB 10/9/60) of 163 Laurel Ave., Union, N.J. was arrested August 6, 2009, in Woodbridge and was charged with official misconduct and bringing an electronic communications device into the prison.

 

Adams, a corrections officer since July 26, 2002, was suspended from his job without pay. He had been earning $66,785 annually.

 

Adams was arrested and charged following an investigation by the Special Investigations Division of the New Jersey Department of Corrections and the Middlesex County Gang, Guns and Drugs Task Force, which is run by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office as part of Governor Jon S. Corzine’s Strategy for Safe Streets and Neighborhoods.

 

‘’Cases involving corrupted staff who introduce cell phones into prisons are investigated promptly and referred to the appropriate county prosecutors for criminal disposition,’’ Commissioner Hayman said. ‘’Such activity compromises the safety and security of our prisons, and will not be tolerated.’’

 

The investigation began in January when members of the Special Investigations Division determined that an inmate at the prison, located in the Avenel section of Woodbridge, possessed two cell phone chargers and an earpiece.

 

Further investigation showed Adams obtained the cell phones and other electronic equipment from associates of a street gang, the Almighty Latin Kings and Queen Nation, and smuggled the items to the inmate, some time between December 2008, and February 2009.

 

In exchange, Adams received cash payments from the associates during subsequent meetings in Newark.

 

East Jersey State Prison Principal Investigator Ted Pena led the investigation, and was assisted by his staff: Senior Investigators Chris Birardi, Dave Calderon, Kevin Koch, Hyronda Strickland, Terrance Smith and Carlos Negron.

 

Also working on the case were Investigator Rodney Blount, Investigator Adrian Villegas and Investigator Joseph Celentano, all of the Middlesex County Gang, Guns and Drugs Task Force.

 

Adams remains in custody today, at an undisclosed location, in lieu of $50,000 bail.

 

As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charges against Adams are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.