COs At Essex County Prison Tampered With Records: Prosecutors – Newark, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A pair of corrections officers at the Essex County Correctional Facility have been accused of falsifying records while on duty, prosecutors announced Monday.

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the alleged offenses took place while Raymond Distasi, 52, of Roxbury Township, and Quasi Cary, 30, of Newark, were working in their official capacities at the county-run prison, which is located on Doremus Avenue in Newark.

Prosecutors stated:

“Raymond Distasi, 52, of Roxbury Township has been charged with one count of tampering with public records, a third-degree offense. It is alleged that Distasi, who was working from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on March 17 and March 18, 2019, knowingly made false entries in the jail logbook indicating that he had made rounds in the jail when surveillance video evidence showed he did not make the required rounds… His failure to make the required rounds came to light when there was an in-custody death investigation.”

Prosecutors continued:

“Quasi Cary, 30, of Newark has also been charged with tampering with public records for knowingly making false entries in the jail logbook indicating he performed the required rounds on Dec. 2, 2018 throughout his shift from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. It is alleged that surveillance footage during the shift shows he did not make the tours listed in the logbook… In that case, the failure to make the required rounds came to light when an inmate was assaulted.”

Distasi and Cary are due to make their first court appearance on March 11. They were charged by summons, prosecutors said.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards Bureau with the assistance of the Essex County Correctional Facility Internal Affairs Unit.

Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Newark Facebook page. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com