Sini: Cook at Suffolk County Jail smuggled cigarettes into facility

A former cook at the Suffolk County Jail in Yaphank jail has pleaded guilty to smuggling cigarettes into the facility, prosecutors announced Monday.

Dominic Emanuele, 35, of Mastic, entered his plea to official misconduct, a misdemeanor, Nov. 26 in Southampton Town Justice Court, said Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini in a statement. Emanuele's sentence was imposed during the same hearing, prosecutors said.

As part of his guilty plea, Emanuele resigned from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and is required to pay $1,500 in asset forfeiture, officials said.

Emanuele's attorney, Steven Gaitman, said Monday night: "The incident itself was way out of character for Dominic. He thoroughly cooperated with the investigation and swiftly accepted responsibility for his role.”

An investigation into Emanuele by Sini’s office, along with the Sheriff’s office, found that between May and September, Emanuele made six deliveries of cigarettes into the jail in exchange for approximately $1,500, prosecutors said. He was arrested Sept. 17, officials said.

“We will not tolerate any public servants using their positions to promote or engage in illegal activity,” Sini said in a statement. “I thank the Sheriff’s Office for referring this matter to my office and for continuing to keep our correctional facilities safe and secure.”