By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-12 16:00:53 | Updated at 2026-06-12 18:30:13
2 hours ago
A New York City prison boss accused of forcing staff to buy her a designer handbag and chauffeur her around while they were on duty made a startling appeal to the judge overseeing her case.
Latanya Brown, 51, allegedly pressured subordinates into handing over thousands of dollars, purchasing luxury goods for her and driving her around during her tenure as a correction captain at Rikers Island between July 2024 and last November.
The explosive allegations were laid bare in a federal indictment unsealed Thursday and obtained by the Daily Mail, charging Brown, of Yonkers, with two counts of extortion and one count of theft involving federal program funds.
According to prosecutors, Brown allegedly instructed several officers who worked under her in December 2024 to pool their money and buy her a Louis Vuitton handbag.
Otherwise, she implied that their shifts, overtime and vacations would be in danger, per the filing.
Her subordinates ultimately purchased the Louis Vuitton bag, the filing states.
Brown, who was dubbed the 'terror of the tombs' over alleged misconduct in a separate earlier case, has pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court.
The federal defender representing Brown tried to convince Magistrate Judge Seth Eichenholtz to let her board a pre–booked cruise to the Bahamas that left Friday, but he said that risk was 'not one I'm willing to take,' according to the New York Daily News.
New York City prison captain Latanya Brown, 51, was accused of making her staff buy her luxury items, pay her money and chauffeur her around while she claimed to be on the clock
Brown allegedly asked her subordinates to buy her a Louis Vuitton bag, implying she would otherwise threaten their shifts, overtime and vacation time (Photo of a Louis Vuitton store)
Brown, who had served as a New York City prison captain since July 2007, allegedly used her position at Rikers Island's facility operations department to shake down the very officers who worked beneath her.
Employees usually paid her in cash or through the Zelle payment app, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors say text messages obtained during the investigation show staff discussing Brown's luxury shopping demands and coordinating purchases on her behalf.
Brown allegedly wielded her authority over subordinates, who 'feared' she would use her power to 'negatively affect' their jobs if they failed to comply, the filing states.
As captain, Brown controlled key aspects of their working lives, including schedules, shift assignments, overtime opportunities and vacation requests, according to the indictment.
Federal prosecutors further allege that Brown falsely claimed on more than 100 occasions across 2024 and 2025 that she had worked regular and overtime shifts she never actually performed.
The alleged scheme netted her thousands of dollars in unearned pay, prosecutors claim.
Court filings show Brown earned a combined base salary of roughly $256,000 over the two-year period, while also racking up approximately $409,000 in overtime pay.
The New York City Department of Correction (DOC), where Brown was employed, is a federally funded government agency.
Brown was assigned to the facility operations department at Rikers between July 2024 and last November, where she is accused of extorting her subordinates, per the federal indictment
In November 2024, Brown claimed to have worked at Rikers from 5am until about 9.30pm. The indictment alleged she actually got to Yonkers' Empire City Casino (pictured) at 2.34pm
On November 21, 2024, Brown claimed to have worked at Rikers from 5am until 9.31pm that day, the indictment said.
However, she instead allegedly arrived at the Empire City Casino in Yonkers around 2.34pm.
The casino, which features the sixth largest gaming floor in the US, is about 17 miles north of Rikers Island.
Despite that, Brown was allegedly paid her full shift and for seven hours of overtime.
Though only that specific instance was fully described in the indictment, the filing alleged that Brown had spent time at the suburban casino 'on some occasions.'
Joseph Nocella Jr., the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said Brown had 'brazenly abused her authority as a law enforcement supervisor to steal taxpayer money and terrorize her subordinates.'
After being arrested and arraigned on Thursday, Brown was released on a $300,000 bond co–signed by her 25–year–old son, the New York Daily News reported.
If convicted, she faces up to 20 years behind bars.
'Captain Latanya Brown allegedly abused her rank and strongarmed her subordinates to support her lavish lifestyle,' James C. Barnacle, Jr., the FBI Assistant Director in Charge, said.
The allegations against Brown said she had falsely claimed more than 100 times that she had worked shifts and overtime shifts at Rikers (pictured) which she actually had not
The New York City Department of Correction told the Daily Mail on Friday that Brown has been suspended without pay for 30 days in the wake of the bombshell allegations.
Once that suspension ends, she will be placed on modified duty while her criminal case makes its way through the courts.
'The allegations announced yesterday are deeply disturbing and run counter to everything this Department stands for,' a DOC spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
'The vast majority of our staff serve with professionalism and integrity every day, and they deserve to work alongside people who uphold those same standards,' they added.
Brown was last assigned to New York State courthouses in Bronx County last November and December, per the indictment.
Alberto Ebanks, an attorney for Brown, said the charges 'would appear to be completely out of character,' according to The New York Times. He said Brown was 'hard–working and high–functioning.'
She was previously accused of harassing her subordinates in 2019 in a lawsuit filed by two officers at the Manhattan Detention Complex, the New York Daily News reported.
At that time, Brown was nicknamed the 'terror of the tombs' because of her alleged behavior at the facility.
In that case, she was accused of 'regularly creat[ing] a hostile work environment' and having 'made sexually explicit and unwelcome comments and continuously threatened violence.'
Brown was accused of telling a female officer that she was going to put her 'd*** in your big, fat, nice a**,' per the outlet.
The Daily Mail reached out to Alberto Ebanks, an attorney for Brown, for further comment.
