By SNN Newsroom | October 14, 2026
Federal prosecutors announced an indictment Wednesday charging a correctional officer at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center with bribery and conspiracy in connection with the alleged smuggling of prohibited items into the federal jail.
Melissa Brooks, 37, was arrested October 14 and was scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge James R. Cho, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The Justice Department announcement does not establish whether the scheduled appearance resulted in a plea or specific release conditions.
Prosecutors allege Brooks, who has worked for the Bureau of Prisons since July 2024, accepted payments from associates of inmates between July 2024 and December 2025 in exchange for bringing contraband into the facility. As a specific example, the government says an intermediary sent her $5,000 through a peer-to-peer payment service on October 18, 2024, shortly after receiving the same amount from an inmate’s relative. Prosecutors also cite communications from December 2025 as alleged evidence. Those allegations have not been tested at trial.
Justice Department investigators, the FBI and the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General participated in the case. Authorities say the case was assigned docket number 26-CR-280 in the Eastern District of New York.
Legal status: Brooks has been indicted, not convicted, and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Prosecutors say the bribery charge carries a statutory maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment if she is convicted; that is not a prediction of any sentence. SNN has not independently established subsequent hearing outcomes or any charges against additional staff.
Primary source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, October 14 announcement and indictment link.
