Staff at notorious NYC jail ‘covered up’ knife attack, lawyer claims

Staff at a notorious federal jail in Brooklyn “covered up” a knife attack on a convicted carjacker, an attorney for the inmate claimed in recent court filings.

Jose Lavandier, 26, was set upon by two other inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in July 2022 after he tried to adjust fans that had been placed in his unit when the air conditioning at the jail went out, his lawyer wrote in a sentencing submission.

One of the attackers pulled a knife and stabbed Lavandier in the chest, wrists, arms and neck, attorney Jeffrey Pittell wrote in the court filing. 

“It appears, to some extent, the staff at MDC have covered up the incident,” he wrote. 

“It is Jose’s understanding that the knife wielding assailant was not disciplined even though the incident was likely recorded by a surveillance camera,” the filing states. “Similarly, it appears the MDC never referred the matter for prosecution even though the assailant attempted to kill Jose.”

Lavandier was rushed to an emergency room and had his wounds sutured, but the gash on his neck later reopened and left a “gaping scar,” Pittell wrote. 

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons declined to comment Wednesday on the accusation. 

Lavandier, who has been locked up in the MDC for 27 months, was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday for participating in a 2020 carjacking in the Bronx. 

He pleaded guilty in December 2021 to acting as a getaway driver after a carjacking crew stole a Mercedes at gunpoint. 

When cops tracked down the stolen car, Lavandier — who was not behind the wheel at the time — jumped out and ditched a loaded handgun in bushes as he ran off. 

In brief remarks at his sentencing hearing in Manhattan federal court, Lavandier mentioned the conditions at the jail in an effort to get a time-served sentence. 

“I don’t think you guys know how severe it is,” he told Judge George Daniels. “It’s not just as bad as people said, it’s worse.” 

The lockup has faced harsh scrutiny in recent years after inmates and attorneys have reported dismal conditions there. 

Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell repeatedly griped about unsanitary and harsh conditions during her time incarcerated there while awaiting trial. 

In winter 2019, the heat at the facility went out for days, forcing inmates to bear freezing temperatures in their cells.