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Northern Westchester resident Deejay White, age 45, of Chappaqua, was sentenced to 21 years behind bars Thursday, Sept. 22, in federal court in Manhattan.
It came over a year after White pleaded guilty in July 2021 to charges of armed robbery, conspiring to smuggle contraband into a federal detention facility, and possession of a firearm while incarcerated.
Federal prosecutors said White and four co-conspirators got wind that a Puerto Rico-based drug trafficking organization was set to receive a large amount of cocaine at a Bronx apartment in May 2019.
The 176 kilograms, or 330 pounds, of cocaine was to be concealed in furniture.
Accompanied by his wife and young child, White admitted that he drove to the apartment, where the four others forced their way in and held 10 victims, including four children, at gunpoint.
Two victims were pistol-whipped during the robbery and a third suffered serious injuries when they jumped out of a third-floor window in an attempt to escape, prosecutors said.
One of the robbers then tossed a duffel bag filled with dozens of kilograms of cocaine into White’s car before he drove off.
Police arrested White in November 2019 on charges stemming from the robbery and conspiracy to distribute the stolen cocaine.
Days after arriving at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan, White began using smuggled cell phones to conspire with others, including his wife, to commit additional crimes, prosecutors said.
On White’s orders, his wife smuggled drugs into the facility on multiple occasions, including cocaine and oxycodone.
In February 2020, when Bureau of Prisons officials found a contraband phone in his cell, White forced a lockdown of the entire detention center when he informed guards that there was also a loaded gun somewhere inside the facility.
What he did not inform them, prosecutors said, was that he himself had conspired with his wife and others to smuggle that very weapon inside.
The lockdown lasted for eight days while prison staff searched for the purported gun. They finally found it hidden inside a wall of White’s jail cell.
“White placed inmates, prison staff, and court personnel in grave danger,” US Attorney Damian Williams said. “Today’s lengthy sentence sends a clear message that those who endanger others will be brought to justice.”
In addition to his prison sentence, a judge ordered White to complete five years of post-release supervision.
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