Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that GREG MCKENZIE, a former Bureau of Prisons correctional officer, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for obstructing a federal investigation into the smuggling of a firearm into the Metropolitan Correctional Center (“MCC”) by lying to federal investigators about using a prepaid cellphone to communicate secretly with Deejay White, the inmate who possessed the firearm in the MCC, and his wife Dawntiana White, who helped smuggle in the firearm. The loaded firearm was recovered from inside the MCC on March 5, 2020. MCKENZIE pled guilty before United States District Judge P. Kevin Castel on September 14, 2022. Judge Castel sentenced MCKENZIE earlier today.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Greg McKenzie, a former correctional officer, obstructed an investigation into the smuggling of a firearm into the MCC that endangered the safety of inmates, prison staff, and the greater community. By lying about his secret communications with the very inmate who possessed a firearm in the MCC and that inmate’s wife, who helped smuggle the firearm into the MCC, McKenzie thwarted a serious criminal investigation and sacrificed the integrity of the institution he swore to protect. McKenzie’s sentence underscores this Office’s commitment to holding public servants accountable and ensuring that no one is above the law.”
According to the Indictment, public court filings, and statements made in court proceedings: