Metro

Rikers guards charged with brutal beating of cuffed inmate

A Corrections captain and two officers were charged with savagely beating a cuffed inmate at Rikers Island and then trying to cover it up, authorities said Wednesday.

Cptn. Moises Simanacas and officers Tyrone Wint and April Jackson entered the cell of inmate Gabino Genao who had mouthed off and become “verbally abusive” to one corrections worker, authorities added.

On Oct. 30, 2012, the day after Superstorm Sandy, after a long period of inmate confinement and staff shortages due to the disaster, tensions had boiled over.

The trio cuffed the inmate from behind and took him to a nearby stairwell where one officer threw a punch and Genao ducked just in time, according to Bronx County District Attorney Robert Johnson and the Department of Investigations.

When the blow didn’t strike the target, the jail workers piled onto the victim, pinning him to the floor, authorities said.

The guards kicked the inmate, punched him and whacked him with their battons until he fell unconscious, prosecutors claim.

Afterwards, they filed false reports claiming that they never used the nightsticks, but Genao ended up with several bruises that bore unique imprint of the riot gear, officials said.

“The inmate received multiple injuries to his head, torso and extremities, and notably had multiple contusions that were patterned in a manner consistent with the imprint of a DOC-issued batton,” according to a joint statement from Johnson’s office and DOI.

Corrections officers are not supposed to carry the sticks on normal rounds, authorities explained.

Genao received multiple injuries to his head, neck and chest, officials said.

All three defendants were arrested Wednesday as part of a long-term investigation into corruption in city jails.

They were charged with first-degree attempted assault, which carries up to 15 years in prison and two counts each of second-degree assault, which can result in seven years imprisonment.

Simanacas and Wint are also charged with filing false reports, which could add another four years if they are convicted.

All three were charged with official misconduct, a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year behind bars.

The Corrections employees appeared before Judge Steven Barrett in the Bronx. He set bail at $50,000 for each defendant and all three posted it.

The Department of Investigation led the probe as part of a wider look at violence, drug and contraband smuggling and evidence tampering on Rikers Island.

As a result, Johnson’s office is considering indictments against a dozen employees and more arrests are expected, officials said.

“The victims here were not simply the injured inmate but the justice system itself, which cannot properly function when sworn law enforcement officers falsify documents to cover up crimes,” DOI Commissioner Mark Peters said.

Peters promised to continue battling what he called “a pattern of lawless conduct at Rikers that must be brought under control.”

All three workers have been suspended. Simancas has worked for DOC since 1997 and earns a base salary of $78,683 a year.

Jackson and Wint were hired in 2008 and they earn $76,488 before overtime, officials said.