A Mercer County correctional officer pleaded guilty on May 1 to conspiracy to commit bribery after accepting payments in exchange for smuggling contraband into the Mercer County Correctional Center, according to a May 5 announcement from Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.
The case highlights concerns about public trust and safety within New Jersey’s correctional facilities. The New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin influences public safety through its role in enforcing laws and providing oversight across the state, according to the official website.
Tyree L. Hobbs, age 42 of Hamilton, admitted during a hearing before Judge Peter E. Warshaw that he accepted bribes from inmates between November 2017 and July 2022. Prosecutors said Hobbs would receive sealed packages outside the jail from inmate affiliates, which he then brought inside for distribution among inmates. The packages sometimes contained illicit narcotics or tobacco. State regulations prohibit officers from possessing or distributing contraband, establishing personal relationships with inmates, or receiving gifts from them or their associates.
Under a plea agreement with OPIA prosecutors, Hobbs is expected to be sentenced to probation with a condition of serving 364 days in county jail. He will also forfeit all public employment and be permanently barred from holding any public office or position of honor in New Jersey government at any level. Sentencing is scheduled for July 17.
“Corrections officers have challenging jobs that are integral to public safety, and the vast majority of them fulfill their roles with integrity,” said Attorney General Davenport. “But in this case, the defendant admitted to exploiting his access to a correctional facility for personal gain. Any public employee that betrays the public trust in this way should not be working in government, and this resolution ensures that.”
The investigation was conducted by OPIA’s Corruption Bureau after Hobbs was suspended without pay in July 2022—about ten months after joining Mercer County Department of Corrections in February 2017—and indicted based on evidence gathered by state authorities.
The New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin functions as a state agency focused on justice and public safety across all counties and municipalities through enforcement efforts like these cases; it offers services including law enforcement oversight, legal representation for state agencies, crime lab support, victim advocacy programs, regulation activities such as consumer protection initiatives under its statutory mandate according to the official website.
