TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that a former state correction officer at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center satellite unit in Kearny, a state correction facility for sex offenders, was sentenced to state prison today for smuggling heroin and marijuana into the facility.

Bobby Singletary, 55, of Paterson, was sentenced to seven years in state prison, including five years of parole ineligibility, by Superior Court Judge Mitzy Galis-Menendez in Hudson County. He was ordered to forfeit his entire pension and is permanently barred from public employment in New Jersey. Singletary was found guilty at trial on Sept. 26 of second-degree counts of conspiracy, official misconduct and bribery. He was convicted of all counts against him in a Jan. 3, 2013 indictment. Five other defendants pleaded guilty previously and testified against him.

The jury found by its verdict that between August 2007 and October 2010, Singletary conspired with the other defendants to acquire heroin and high-grade marijuana that he smuggled to residents inside the correction facility in Kearny. Singletary had the residents pay for the drugs by wiring money to co-conspirators outside the prison.

Deputy Attorneys General Cassandra Serentino and Erik Daab tried the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau. Deputy Attorney General Daab handled today’s sentencing. The indictment stemmed from a joint investigation by the Department of Corrections Special Investigations Division and the Division of Criminal Justice.

“Narcotics have a destabilizing impact inside correction facilities, where the environment can be volatile and dangerous,” said Acting Attorney General Hoffman. “By smuggling drugs to inmates, Singletary betrayed his oath and compromised the safety of his fellow correction officers. He demonstrated that he belongs on the other side of the prison bars.”

“Prison smuggling is a very serious crime that can compromise the security of correction facilities,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Working with the Department of Corrections, we will maintain maximum vigilance on this front and ensure that those who commit these crimes face stern punishment.”

“While the overwhelming majority of New Jersey Department of Corrections staff is hard-working and honest, it must be understood that there will be severe consequences for those few who would choose to follow the path of corruption. Thanks to all members of the criminal justice system who collaborated on this investigation,” said Commissioner Gary M. Lanigan of the Department of Corrections.

Commissioner Lanigan commended the investigators from the Special Investigations Division for leading the investigation. Detective Scott Caponi and Deputy Attorneys General Serentino and Daab investigated the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau.

Acting Attorney General Hoffman and Director Honig noted that the Division of Criminal Justice has established a toll-free Corruption Tipline 1-866-TIPS-4CJ for the public to confidentially report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities. The public also can log on to the Division’s web page at www.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing confidentially.

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