A detainee at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Center, Matthew Pizarro, has been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to possess and distribute contraband inside the facility. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Pizarro, 36, admitted in court that he worked with another detainee and individuals outside the detention center to coordinate the delivery and distribution of contraband. Former Correctional Officer Kaii Almeida-Falcones of Smithfield was identified as having delivered the contraband.
Video surveillance from February 14, 2021, showed Almeida-Falcone visiting Pizarro’s cell briefly. Shortly after, Pizarro visited Emmanuel Nolasco’s cell for less than a minute. A strip search of Nolasco revealed a package containing suboxone strips. A search of Pizarro’s cell uncovered a plastic bottle with 4.5 grams of marijuana hidden in his pillowcase.
Lab analysis confirmed that the seized suboxone consisted of 201 strips, including five partial strips, all containing buprenorphine—a Schedule III controlled substance found in Suboxone.
Pizarro pleaded guilty on March 12, 2025, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution of Suboxone, and possession of contraband by an inmate. U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose sentenced him to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Former Correctional Officer Almeida-Falcones was previously sentenced on November 14, 2024, to six months in federal prison and twenty-four months of supervised release—the first six months served under home confinement—after pleading guilty to providing contraband to an inmate.
Emmanuel Nolasco received a forty-eight month sentence on November 3, 2024. He pleaded guilty on June 20, 2023, to charges including possession with intent to distribute Suboxone and possession of contraband by an inmate.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul F. Daly Jr. and Ly T. Chin. The investigation involved multiple agencies: the FBI; United States Marshals Service; U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General; and Wyatt Detention Center’s Professional Standards Unit.
