An indictment unsealed in the Bronx charges a Rikers Island correction officer, an inmate, and the inmate’s wife with allegedly smuggling prohibited items into the jail. According to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, the materials contained equipment capable of bypassing specific security screws, as well as marijuana and tobacco products. The case involves the Otis Bantum Correctional Center.
Darcel D. Clark, Bronx District Attorney, and Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation, announced the charges, citing alleged correctional misconduct. Steven Davis, a 43-year-old correction officer, is accused of providing tools for dismantling light fixtures and vents, which are common hiding places for contraband such as cell phones and scalpels.
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The investigation revealed that the suspected misbehavior included pay theft. Davis is accused of cheating the city by getting over $8,000 for hours he did not work from January 2024 to March 2025. The indictment includes accusations for both smuggling and the alleged financial malfeasance.
Davis is accused of accepting more than $5,000 in bribes in exchange for contraband and then meeting with the inmate’s wife, Natasha Laing, 51, in Harlem to collect both the things and the cash. The defendants are set to appear in court again on February 10.
Trial preparation assistants and investigators from the New York City Department of Investigation assisted with the arrest and case preparation. The probe revealed misbehavior at the correctional facility. The full case information and charges underscore claims of systemic breaches of duty and misbehavior.
