MAYS LANDING – A correctional officer is accused of smuggling contraband into the Atlantic County Jail as part of a conspiracy involving an inmate and the inmate’s girlfriend.
Christopher Piccioni, 33, of Woolwich allegedly took $4,100 to bring drugs, cellphones and other prohibited items to the Mays Landing lockup, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
The payments were allegedly made through Apple Cash by Qydreia Smith, 40, of Mays Landing.
The contraband was allegedly delivered to inmate Dion Robinson, 39, of Egg Harbor Township, an inmate at the jail and Smith’s boyfriend.
Contraband Prohibition System: How a South Jersey prison plans to stop illegal cellphones
A four-month investigation that began in January identified Piccioni as the suspect, according to a probable cause statement.
It says that “targeted searches of cells and inmates” found synthetic marijuana behind a damaged circuit board and on a table in Robinson’s cell.
Investigators also found three “mobile devices,” a bag containing a brown leaf substance and multiple blue pills, among other types of suspected contraband, the statement said.
“The recovered pills were later found to be fentanyl,” it said.
Investigators also seized Piccioni’s cellphone, which showed 83 conversations with Smith between October 2023 and March of this year.
Authorities also claim that Piccioni remotely accessed the phone to erase some of its contents.
The affidavit alleges that Smith and Robinson discussed the delivery of contraband in recorded phone conversations from jail.
During at least two video calls, Smith showed cellphones and loose tobacco to be smuggled into the jail, the affidavit alleges.
All three suspects were charged on May 20 with conspiracy to commit official misconduct.
Piccioni is also charged with official misconduct, tampering with evidence and providing other contraband to an inmate.
The accusations are just accusations. No one has been convicted in the case.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter at the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on the Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Christopher Piccioni of Woolwich is accused of official misconduct
