Woburn lawyer, 3 others charged with trying to sneak drugs into R.I. jail

Correctional officers allegedly recovered papers soaked in synthetic marijuana.

Court documents unsealed in federal court in Providence, Rhode Island on Tuesday revealed that a Massachusetts attorney, a Connecticut woman, and two individuals detained in the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, participated in a scheme to smuggle contraband, according to U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

During a visit to the prison in July 2023, Attorney Theresa DiJoseph, 50, of Woburn, allegedly used her credentials as an attorney to meet with Shawn Hart, 46, in a visiting room that did not have a plexiglass screen.

Correctional officers filed an incident report after noticing that DiJoseph was “acting suspicious and monitoring the correctional officer’s movements,” according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Rhode Island.

A review by the detention facility found text messages sent between DiJoseph and Hart showing that DiJoseph sent Hart “personal photos of herself and screenshots showing Cash App or sports-betting transactions that she appeared to have engaged in on Hart’s behalf,” the statement said.

DiJoseph was temporarily suspended from visiting Hart, but later allowed to resume visits, authorities said.

In December, Wyatt detainee Samuel Douglas, 26, allegedly arranged for his girlfriend Hanasa Stedford, 21, of Hamden, Conn., to meet DiJoseph outside of the detention center and give the attorney 10 sheets of paper soaked in synthetic marijuana.

Wyatt officers seized the paper during DiJoseph’s visit with Hart that day. The papers were sent to an FBI testing lab where they were confirmed to contain Schedule 1 controlled substances, according to the office.

Authorities arrested DiJoseph and Stedford on Tuesday. Hart remains detained at the Wyatt Detention Facility while awaiting trial on drug and firearm offenses charged in the District of Massachusetts. Douglas awaits sentencing in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn. after pleading guilty in April to a charge of racketing conspiracy.

Authorities charged DiJoseph with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, providing a prohibited object to an inmate, and making a false statement. Stedford, Hart, and Douglas are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and providing a prohibited object to an inmate.