Two Riker’s Island guards were arrested today after one allegedly assaulted a prisoner and then both of them agreed to write a false report about the incident, officials said.
The handcuffed Kevin Gilkes, 48, and Louis Pinto Jr., 30, pled “not guilty” to the 17-count indictment accusing them of trying to cover up the Dec. 3 beating of the prisoner by Gilkes during a routine search.
Gilkes, a 15-year Department of Correction veteran, was charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault. Pinto, a guard for five years, allegedly witnessed the beating.
Both face felony falsifying business records for claiming Gilkes was defending himself — which proved to be untrue after investigators reviewed a video surveillance of the beating.
The guards were released on their own recognizance and face a maximum of four years in jail if convicted of the most serious charge.
They were suspended without pay pending the outcome of the case, a Correction Dept. spokeswoman said. They return to court Aug. 3.
dmontero@nypost.com