Hempstead woman charged in smuggling plan

A Long Island woman was charged Friday with taking bribes to smuggle cellphones and other contraband to prisoners at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.

Nydia Ciancioso, 41, a case manager for the Bureau of Prisons at the New York City lockup, allegedly took a $2,500 bribe from an informant in a sting operation to sneak in a phone, according to charges filed in federal court in Manhattan.

Officials said Ciancioso, who has worked at the jail since 1998, had taken bribes ranging from $400 to $1,500 from March to July in return for bringing in cellphones and an unauthorized compact disc to inmates.

She faces up to 5 years in prison on one count of conspiracy.

An informant told authorities that she had also smuggled in narcotics and rosary beads, according to court papers, but those items did not figure in the charges brought against her.

She was allegedly working with an inmate who had been incarcerated at the center since 2006, but the inmate was not identified.

Ciancioso, of Hempstead, was released on her own recognizance after a court appearance.

Her lawyer declined to comment on the charges.

A Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman said she couldn't speculate on whether Ciancioso will be suspended from her duties while charges are pending.