Matthew Matagrano should be well known to the authorities. In addition to being a registered sex offender, he was once jailed for disguising himself as an Education Department official and sneaking into a Queens school.
But last week, officials say, Mr. Matagrano was somehow able to disguise himself as a government worker again, this time as a Correction Department investigator, and enter at least one detention center. While there he stole a walkie-talkie and spent over seven hours conversing and smoking with inmates.
Mr. Matagrano, 36, was arraigned on Saturday and charged with burglary, grand larceny and forgery, according to court documents.
New York State Crimnal Justice Services, via Associated Press Matthew Matagrano was charged with burglary, grand larceny and forgery.Officials offered few details about the case. In a criminal complaint, investigators said that Mr. Matagrano admitted to unlawfully entering the Manhattan Detention Center on Thursday. Other media outlets reported that he might have similarly entered other facilities over the course of a week.
According to the criminal complaint, Mr. Matagrano was allowed to park his car in front of the Manhattan Detention Center after displaying a Correction Department parking permit that was later found to be a forgery. He then gained entry by showing a gold shield and purporting to be an investigator with the Intelligence Unit. It was not clear whether the shield was fake.
While inside, he stole a walkie-talkie valued at about $2,500, the complaint said. He also handed out cigarettes to inmates and spent time smoking with them. He was in the faci! lity from about 3:30 to 11 p.m., the complaint said.
Investigators gave no indication of Mr. Matagrano’s motives, and his lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment. The circumstances of his arrest were also unclear.
His bail was set at $50,000, and he is scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday.
According to New York State’s sex offender registry, Mr. Matagrano was convicted in 1996 of raping a 17-year-old boy. He served over a year in prison.
Then in 2004, he was able to gain entry to a charter school in Jackson Heights, Queens, after presenting to school staff members what they thought was an Education Department badge. Investigators said that he spent about an hour in the school and was able to look through the files of at least two students.
In hat case, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two to four years in prison.
