Jersey City Man Admits Accepting Bribes To Smuggle Contraband Into Prisoners At Essex County Correctional Facility

JERSEY CITY, NJ - A former Essex County correctional officer admitted accepting $14,000 in bribe payments to smuggle in contraband tobacco and a cell phone to inmates being detained at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark.

Efrin Wade, 36, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty to one count of extortion under color of official right.

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According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Wade, who had served as a corrections officer at Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF) since February 2020, began communicating with an individual whom he believed was seeking to smuggle contraband to inmates at ECCF for sale to other inmates in January 2023. Unbeknownst to Wade, this individual was in reality an undercover FBI agent.

On Feb. 8, 2023, Wade met the agent in a parking lot in Jersey City where he took possession of a cell phone concealed within tobacco. After smuggling this contraband into ECCF, law enforcement recovered it in a concealed location where Wade had left it for inmates to retrieve.

On Feb.15, 2023, Wade met with the undercover agent in the same parking lot in Jersey City where he accepted an additional $4,000 for his smuggling activities. Wade also explained his plans to smuggle in an additional 15 contraband cell phones, which were to be supplied to him by the undercover agent. He expected to be paid at least $30,000 for smuggling these cell phones into ECCF in late March. Wade expected that the cell phones would then be resold to inmates for approximately $5,000 per phone.

In addition, when approached by agents during his shift at ECCF during the early morning hours of March 14, 2023, Wade was found to be in possession of multiple packs of contraband cigarettes as well as tobacco packs and cigars.

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Wade faces up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

As previously reported, Wade allegedly conspired with another Jersey City resident, Yairisa Lizardo, whose charges remain pending.

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