Manhattan prosecutors are happy to accommodate the bizarre obsession of a corrections buff accused of sneaking into jails in four boroughs — telling a judge yesterday that they want him to stay behind bars for 10 years.
Matthew Matagrano, 36, posed as a correction officer and repeatedly tried to sneak into jails because the people inside were “nice,” he explained to cops, according to police statements released as he pleaded not guilty yesterday to felony burglary in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“I went in because they’re nice . . .” he told cops last month.“They give me food,” Matagrano added, according the statements. “They made me feel important.”
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ronald Zweibel doubled Matagrano’s bail to $100,000 and ordered that the suspect get medical attention. He may face additional, sex-related charges by then, said a source familiar with the case.
“He’s under a number of medications for a number of issues,” said defense lawyer Carlos Martir.
Matagrano, who in 1996 was convicted of sodomizing a 15-year-old boy, is due back in court on May 16.