Nine inmates at Brooklyn Detention Center charged with stabbings

Federal authorities have announced charges against nine inmates at a Brooklyn detention center in a series of gruesome attacks that left two men dead and others seriously injured.

Each of the suspects was already being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park on unrelated charges.

But they made the dire situation worse by stalking their fellow inmates, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Breon Peace of the Eastern District of New York.

“Violence will not be tolerated in our federal prisons,” Peace said. “These allegations should serve as a warning to those who commit criminal behavior behind bars, and to anyone else who enables these crimes: your behavior will be exposed and you will be held accountable.”

Two of the men – Andrew Simpson, 26, of Brooklyn, and Devone Thomas, 24, of Queens – were charged with stabbing inmate Uriel Whyte on June 7, Peace said.

Three others — Jamaul Aziz, 44, of Manhattan, also known as “Bugz”; James Bazemore, 42, of the Bronx, who goes by “TJ” or “RS”; and Alberto Santiago, 28, of Queens, known on the street as “Dotcom” – were charged with the alleged murder of inmate Edwin Cordero on July 17, he added.

Both groups of killers used makeshift knives to carry out their bloody work, Peace said.

All five have been charged with murder and could face life in prison if convicted.

Another inmate, Luis Rivas, 29, of Jamaica, was charged with attempted murder for stabbing a fellow inmate 44 times in April.

Bruce Silva, 28, of the Bronx, and Hassan Elliott, 26, of Philadelphia, are charged with assault for attempting to stab another incarcerated man. And Leury Mojica, 21, of the Bronx, is charged with assault on a federal officer for punching a security guard in the face in August.

“Several inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn allegedly orchestrated a series of separate violent attacks, including the murders of fellow inmates Uriel Whyte and Edwin Cordero,” FBI Assistant Director Dennehy said in a statement.

“While this federal prison houses dangerous pretrial detainees, order and safety must remain paramount,” Dennehy continued. “Waiting for possible criminal charges is not a justification for subjecting an incarcerated person to unnecessary attacks.”

Each of the suspects will be charged in the next few days, the statement said.