Brooklyn youth detention staff member sentenced to 1 year in prison for smuggling drugs and weapons into facility.
A youth development specialist working at a juvenile detention center in Brooklyn has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison for his role in smuggling contraband, which included potent prescription drugs. This sentencing comes after Da’Vante Bolton, 32, of Queens, pled guilty to charges associated with taking bribes to facilitate the introduction of unauthorized items into the Crossroads Juvenile Center, a facility that accommodates approximately 120 young individuals aged between 14 and 20.
The case, brought to light in Federal Court in Brooklyn, revealed that Bolton received over ,000 in bribes from detainees, their families, or associates from June 2022 to February 2024. Instrumental to the prosecution’s case was the distressing account of one juvenile who suffered a nonfatal overdose after consuming a crushed prescription painkiller that Bolton smuggled into the facility.
According to federal prosecutors, Bolton engaged in multiple meetings with an associate of a detainee to discuss smuggling operations. A significant incident occurred in September 2023 when Bolton agreed to deliver a prescription painkiller known as Percocet, a combination of oxycodone and acetaminophen, which was requested in powdered form. This illicit delivery resulted in a young detainee passing out on route to a court appearance. Medical professionals later confirmed that the detainee had ingested Percocet.
Bolton was among five staff members at Crossroads who faced charges for contraband smuggling in June 2024. He is the third individual from that group to receive a sentence, with the court ordering him to forfeit more than ,000. Two additional defendants, Octavia Napier, 28, and Roger Francis, 60, are slated to be sentenced later this year.
The ramifications of this case extend beyond the sentence itself; officials from the New York City Department of Investigation have decried the actions of Bolton and his co-defendants, asserting that they undermined the integrity of the facility they were charged with safeguarding. Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber emphasized that the defendants’ actions destabilized a crucial institution dedicated to young people’s rehabilitation.
Bolton is scheduled to begin serving his sentence on January 5, marking a significant moment in a troubling incident that highlights serious systemic issues within the facility designed to care for vulnerable youth.
