A Broome County corrections officer resigned and was decertified this week after investigators say he admitted giving tobacco to an incarcerated person he was supervising in a housing pod at the Broome County Correctional Facility. Daniel J. Felo Jr., 50, of Endicott, faces criminal charges including second-degree promoting prison contraband and official misconduct, both Class A misdemeanors.
The case began with a joint investigation between Broome County Sheriff's corrections investigators and detectives from the law enforcement division, according to WBNG. Investigators determined that Felo gave tobacco to an individual in a housing pod he was supervising, and he admitted to his actions when questioned, per the outlet's report.
Once the Sheriff's Office began the termination process based on the charges, Felo voluntarily resigned before that process concluded, the station reported. He was then decertified, a step that prevents him from working as a corrections officer at any other agency in the state.
How Decertification Closes an Old Loophole
That decertification traces to New York State Title 9 NYCRR Part 6056, a regulation enacted under the Professional Policing Act of 2021. Under the rule, officers who resign while facing disciplinary proceedings or after committing misconduct are reported to the state decertification index, making them permanently ineligible for future police or corrections jobs anywhere in New York, according to Wayne County Civil Service. The framework was designed specifically to close the loophole that once let officers facing termination simply resign and seek employment at another department.
Sheriff Fred Akshar said the department holds corrections officers to the highest standard and acts quickly to hold officers accountable when they break the law. He said contraband threatens the health and safety of the people living and working inside the correctional facility, and that anyone who violates policy and breaks the law should not be serving as a corrections officer. Akshar added that the department has kept the community informed over the past three years.
Tobacco vs. 'Dangerous Contraband' Under State Law
The misdemeanor charges reflect a specific legal distinction in New York law. Under Penal Law § 205.00, non-dangerous items like tobacco or unauthorized personal items qualify as standard contraband charged under § 205.20 as a Class A misdemeanor, while weapons, escape tools, or controlled substances are classified as dangerous contraband carrying Class D felony penalties, according to Fast Law. A Class A misdemeanor conviction in New York carries a maximum sentence of up to 364 days in jail and fines of up to $1,000, per the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The Broome County Correctional Facility, located in the Town of Dickinson, is a 536-bed direct-supervision facility that typically holds between 400 and 500 inmates, with roughly 75% of them pre-trial detainees awaiting court disposition, according to Pigeonly. That direct-supervision model relies heavily on officer presence inside the housing pods, the same setting where investigators say Felo gave tobacco to the inmate in his care.
Part of a Broader Anti-Contraband Push
Felo's case arrives amid a sustained push against jail contraband under Akshar, who took office in January 2023. In 2023, he expanded the Sheriff's Office Corrections Division Criminal Investigations Unit from a single investigator to an 11-member team dedicated to detecting and stopping contraband from entering the facility, according to the Broome County Sheriff's Office. In October 2024 alone, that unit handled eight cases resulting in 12 criminal charges, including 13 counts of first-degree promoting prison contraband and one count of second-degree promoting prison contraband.
The unit has also run targeted operations before. In March 2023, Sheriff's investigators teamed up with local police K9 units for a surprise sweep across the facility's housing pods, leading to three arrests on narcotics and contraband charges. Felo's case also follows other recent misconduct allegations against corrections staff: in August 2024, fellow Broome County corrections officer James Woodard was criminally charged with official misconduct and second-degree harassment after body camera footage showed him striking a handcuffed inmate in the jail's medical unit, according to WSKG.
The Broome County Sheriff's Office, which employs more than 140 uniformed staff, has also pursued broader administrative reforms under Akshar, including an operational audit of contracted medical services at the jail that recovered more than $250,000 in taxpayer overpayments. It remains unclear whether Felo received any payment or other benefit in exchange for the tobacco, or when he is scheduled to appear in court on the charges.
