Protection at a Price?
2 workers charged in alleged scheme at youth center
By Lauren Terrazzano
Originally published in Newsday, February 16, 2002
Two employees who guard children on the night shift at the Nassau County Juvenile Detention Center have been arrested for shaking down parents for thousands of dollars of so-called "protection money" they paid to ensure their son's safety, authorities said.
Bobby Stewart, 33, of 927 Sterling Pl., West Babylon, and Sean A. Bourne, 28, of 64 Barbara Lane, Middle Island, were both charged by Nassau District Attorney Denis Dillon with second-degree grand larceny, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Bourne was arrested Thursday night at the center, while Stewart was arrested on Feb. 7 after a sting operation conducted by the District Attorney's office.
At least two relatives of a boy there had been paying one of the men $200 a week for the past year, according to officials. One parent told Newsday that the workers created a climate of fear inside the center for the youths who are incarcerated there, many of whom are juvenile delinquents or more serious offenders. She said she was afraid initially to tell authorities.
"I did what I had to do. I was afraid for my son," said one mother of a child who had been there for over a year while he awaits trial on manslaughter. "My son was learning a whole new criminal life in there."
The woman, who asked that her name not be used because she feared for her son's safety, said the men also smuggled pornographic magazines and alcohol, such as Hennessy cognac and champagne, to the youths. They brought cigarettes into the facility, charging $50 a pack, she said. For a price, she said, they would let the children make calls on their personal cellular phones. The boy was removed this week from the center for his protection.
James Clarke, an assistant district attorney, said the investigation was ongoing and encouraged other parents who may have been victims to come forward.
Stewart, who was released on his own recognizance last week and will appear in court again March 5, hung up on a reporter yesterday who called him seeking comment. Bourne was awaiting arraignment yesterday in First District Court in Hempstead. A man who identified himself as Bourne's brother, and answered the phone at his home, said Sean was unavailable for comment but that he didn't believe his brother was guilty.
The juvenile center has been plagued with myriad problems in the past several years. Newsday stories, which prompted a district attorney's investigation last year, highlighted systemic problems there, including numerous violations by state inspectors, who found unsanitary conditions in the building, dangerously low staffing, as well as two substantiated cases of child abuse. The youths incarcerated there told stories of having to urinate in milk cartons, because workers wouldn't let them out of their cells at night to use the bathroom. A number of employees had criminal histories. The facility can house anywhere from 22 to 25 youths from Nassau, Suffolk and other counties who are in trouble with the law. It costs the state and county about $300 a night to house a child there. The offenders typically range in age from 13 to 17.
Bob Sherman, the commissioner of Nassau's Department of Social Services, Friday said conditions had vastly improved and the most recent state inspection in December found that most of the prior problems had been fixed. Saying the two men's employment has been terminated, he called the situation "regrettable" saying the county has an extensive screening process for hiring employees. Stewart and Bourne, according to law enforcement officials, have no prior criminal convictions.
Still, said the parent who said she was a victim of the extortion plot, problems remained. She said Stewart would follow her out to the parking lot after her weekly visits to the 45-year-old brick building, which is surrounded by barbed wire and sits behind Nassau Family Court on Carman Avenue in Westbury. Sometimes, she said, he asked her to leave the money under a wastebasket in the men's bathroom. Fed up a few weeks ago, she finally summoned courage to tell center officials about the shake down, and they notified the district attorney's office.
Stewart worked at the center since 1996, making $31,000 a year, Sherman said. Bourne was hired in 2000, and made $29,000 a year.
"It's the job of all of the employees of the juvenile detention center to protect and care for all of the residents, without being paid money by the parents or family members," Clarke said. "So it's particularly outrageous that employees would extort money from the fearful parents of juvenile residents of this facility."
