The alleged plot was to sneak synthetic marijuana into a prison. A CT woman is charged.
A Connecticut woman is among four people accused of conspiring to smuggle synthetic marijuana into a detention facility in Rhode Island by soaking a number of papers in the drug then allowing them to dry.
Court documents unsealed Tuesday detail the allegations against those who were allegedly involved in the plot, including Hanasa Stedford, 21, of Hamden, Shawn D. Hart, 46, Samuel Douglas, 26, and Attorney Theresa M. DiJoseph, 50, of Woburn, Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.
According to federal officials, DiJoseph on July 9, 2023, used her credentials as an attorney to meet with Hart, who was held in custody at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island. During the visit, which took place in a “contact visiting room” absent of a plexiglass screen sometimes used for attorney visits to conduct legal work, correctional officers found that DiJoseph was “acting suspicious and monitoring the correctional officer’s movements,” which later led to the officers filing a report.
A subsequent review of messages exchanged between DiJoseph and Hart on a Wyatt-issued tablet showed that DiJoseph had sent him “personal photos of herself” and screenshots showing Cash App or sports-betting transactions that she appeared to have made on Hart’s behalf, officials said. She was temporarily prohibited from contact visits with Hart, but later allowed to resume visits.
On Dec. 1, 2023, during an attempted visit with Hart, correctional officers at Wyatt seized 10 sheets of paper from DiJoseph, officials said. The papers looked discolored and thicker than normal, as if they had been wet and dried out. Federal officials noted that they were consistent with papers that have been soaked in synthetic marijuana.
The papers were later sent to an FBI testing lab, which allegedly confirmed the presence of “Schedule 1 controlled substances,” according to federal officials.
Authorities allege that Douglas, another detainee at Wyatt, arranged for Stedford, his girlfriend, to meet with DiJoseph outside of the detention center prior to the visit and supply her with the papers that were seized.
DiJoseph and Stedford were arrested Tuesday and were expected to appear in federal court in Providence, Rhode Island later in the day.
DiJoseph is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, providing a prohibited object to an inmate and making a false statement.
Stedford, Hart and Douglas are each charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and providing a prohibited object to an inmate.
Federal officials said Hart and Douglas, who remain in custody, are expected to appear before a federal judge at a later date.
