Crime & Safety
Bloomfield Man, Girlfriend Smuggled Drugs, Contraband
Former Essex County corrections officer made $1,000 a week in operation.
A former Essex County corrections officer and his girlfriend pleaded guilty Friday to smuggling drugs and contraband into the Essex County Correctional Facility, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Joseph Mastriani, 31 of Bloomfield, a corrections officer for nine years, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree official misconduct in the $1,000-a-week smuggling operation that brought drugs and cellphones into the jail.
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Prosecutors said Mastriani got paid up to $500 for the items.
His girlfriend, Jill Watral, 32, of Nutley, a teacher at the Washington Academy in Cedar Grove, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit official misconduct.
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The pair was caught following a five-month investigation.
They are both scheduled to be sentenced on Feb 6, 2012 by Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin, according to Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Shaugnessy.
Under the terms of the plea agreement Mastriani must serve five years in state prison before he is eligible for parole.
Watral will be given probation.
Both must forfeit all current and future public employment.
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