Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast
Rikers Guard EXPOSED for Running a Prison Smuggling Ring | Steven Dominguez
17 Dec 2025
Chapter 1: What does Steven Dominguez reveal about his upbringing?
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I am the senior officer. Nobody knows what I'm doing. I've been quiet. I've never told anyone anything. There's not a question in anyone in the department's mind that I'm involved in this type of organization. If you're going to do something wrong, make sure that you do it right. Steven, wake up. You got to wake up. This is bad. This is very bad. Born and raised in New York City.
My mother's of Colombian descent. My father's of Dominican descent. They both got here in the mid-80s. I want to say my mom is slightly younger than my father. She came here, she started working for a catering company. She worked in the laundromat there. She had me in 1988. I'm 36 years old currently. All of my academic years were also in New York City.
I bring that up to say that my mother started applying for New York City jobs. She got a job as a substitute teacher. When she got here from Columbia, she was able to get her student visa. She got her master's and she got into the Department of Education. She learned English very fast. She has a heavy accent still, but she maintains and she floats through. She's helping ESL students come in.
So she's gaining a lot of notoriety within the Department of Education. My father is in basically building maintenance. Sorry. Sorry. Building maintenance. He also has his master's, but for some reason just can't get a decent job. His English is not the best. He gets into masonry and then he starts delving into construction where it's like granite and marble tops and things of that nature.
Around five or six, they start to get into heavy arguments. I started to see this other kid. I had my own room. I was in a not great part of New York City. I'm in Queens Village, the north side of Jamaica. Crime-ridden still, but I didn't ever feel in danger.
Right.
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Chapter 2: How did Steven's early jobs shape his perspective?
I'm like, you know what? I'm not going to take that test ever. I'm in there for forensic psychology. I'm kind of like borderline making it. I'm still in TSA part time and I'm still at my mother's house and I have girlfriends here and there. And it's like I have such a great job and I've got a nice car that I'm able to maintain, but I still live with my mom.
I kind of want a little sense of freedom. I want my own place, you know. So I take the correction officer's exam. I'm coming out of John Jay one day. They tell me, hey, listen, because you're a student here, the exam is free. Back then it was $30 to take. And I'm like, no, you know what? This kind of goes into the same group of PD that I'm trying not to do.
I'm trying to venture out, you know, whether it means me moving to Texas or Seattle or whatever it is. And they're like, hey, listen. He shows me his pay stub. He goes, you can make some good money here, man. What do you do now? And I'm like, well, I'm in TSA. He goes, well, you know, that's okay. And at that time, I'm probably making $700, $800 biweekly because I'm part-time.
Again, I'm still going to school full-time. And it's like three, four grand. And I'm just like, wow, that's a big step up. You know, three, four grand will probably get me a studio apartment. And maybe I can, you know, venture out and still be able to help my mother because she's a substitute teacher. She doesn't make much. Right.
You know, she has a stability that she always gets a check, you know, every two weeks. And I'm a product of that because I understand that that structure now. But. If I make more than her, then I can say, hey, listen, whatever I was helping you with, I can still do so and do my own thing. I just wanted the freedom. Single, straight male.
I wanted to be with my girlfriends, whoever they were, and just be able to go home after my 9 to 5 and have that structure. So I always craved it. I passed the correctional officer exam with flying colors. I got like a 96 or a 93. They call me right away within like three months. This is January of 2010, and I am only 20 years old. I turned 21 in May of that year.
And she said, hey, listen, they assigned me an investigator. They said, okay, after this, we're going to assign you an investigator and we're going to do the same thing pretty much TSA did. We're going to take a deep dive into who you are and make sure that you're eligible enough and credited enough. At that time, you needed 39 credits, college credits to be a New York City correction officer.
They did all of that and they called me in December of that year. I'm 21 at this time. Hey, would you like to go into this class? Of course. This is like a Christmas present to me because now it's like, okay, I'll do this for a few years. I'll give this a chance.
Not knowing too much about corrections, knowing a lot about Rikers just through like DVD culture and understanding that people get arrested and this is where they land if you get arrested within the five boroughs of New York City. I knew it was dangerous. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but to me it's opportunity and it's an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime.
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Chapter 3: What led Steven to become a correctional officer?
So I go straight home and I get there in maybe 15, 18 minutes. I park up and it's $1,500.
Oh, okay.
And $1,500. That's a lot of money. Back then to a 23-year-old who's probably getting this with the old overtime, the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into working a housing area that you're not familiar with. And it's just excruciating money. But correctional officers do make bank when it comes to city employees for New York City.
They're one of the highest paid, I believe, after sanitation, if I'm not mistaken. And that's because of the overtime. So I'm like, wow, $1,500. And I'm like, well, 40 minutes of my time, I can get used to this. So I'm turned up, you know, at that point. And he called me three days later and he's like, hey, listen, I got another run. This time I have to go to the Bronx.
From where you picked me up last time, I need you to go to the Bronx.
I have a question. Yeah. You're just there, why? Because you have a firearm? I don't understand what you're doing. What if something happens? What are you expected to do?
The whole reasoning for him to tell me, hey, listen, we're going to pay you a hefty amount to basically be with my brother is because you have a firearm. Not so much you have a firearm, you have a badge. You have a New York City badge, which is like having 10 firearms. And if you were to get pulled over, you are in the driver's seat. This is your vehicle. Hey. Credentials are right here.
They're not going to search. Another member of service, why would they waste their time? You're just a CEO with his cousin. This guy looks like he can be my cousin.
Right. Literally. Even if he's a drug dealer.
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Chapter 4: What happens when Steven is cuffed and taken to a room?
These are just general questions. I don't want to make sure that this is your maiden name. This is your address. We just want to get things sorted out. You don't have to say anything aside from the things I just told you. Okay. They cuff me. They put me in a room. She does exactly that. Made a name, emergency contact.
Chapter 5: How does Steven react to the DA's invitation to talk?
I go through everything. Everyone else goes through it and I'm watching them go through it. The Colombian guy's pacing as he gets transported to the room to do what I just did. And he's giving me a look like, yo, you better not tell. You better not say anything. And again, I'm just like, nothing. Me and my co-defendant now are cells to each other.
And while we're just like, yo, bro, listen, I don't know. Right away, DA, hey, there's no talking here unless you're talking to us. One of the DA agents comes. He goes, yo, Dominguez, you want to have a chat? And I'm going, no, I'm good. They take my co-defendant next to me, which is my partner. They put him in a room. They didn't even ask him if he wanted to talk.
It's kind of like a psychological game that they're playing. I see him going and not even saying that he does or doesn't. And they're asking me in front of everybody. I don't say anything. I kind of was brought up on that culture. You know, until you have counsel present, try your best to just keep your mouth shut. And again, I don't know what they know. I do exactly that.
And the DEA comes in to my cell. They handcuff me. The district attorney, she's in a suit and she looks at me. She goes.
You mean the U.S. attorney?
The U.S. attorney. She goes, you don't want to talk to my guys? And I'm just like. I don't nod. I try to be as numb as possible. She goes, get him out of here. They do exactly that. We get back into a car. And I don't know if my partner's coming. I don't know if the Colombian guy. I don't know their whereabouts at this time.
I ask the officer again that's in the backseat with me while I'm handcuffed. Where are we going? We're going to Manhattan Tombs. You're being arraigned. And if I'm in Manhattan Tombs, well, that's a city case. This is not federal anymore. I got arrested by DEA. And I'm like, okay, now I'm very confused.
Yeah.
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Chapter 6: What are the implications of Steven's arrest on his relationships?
I was going to say, do they have the Marshalls hold over there?
I don't know what it was, but New York City took over me once I got to Manhattan Tombs. So now I have my peers of the same uniform that I used to wear 24 hours ago. And they're like, yo, what the hell happened? I don't know what happened. And just like the movies, I'm in the bullpen by myself.
And the news shows me 17 correction officers, 14 correction officers arrested for promoting prison contraband, bringing in oxycodone, tobacco, all these pills and promoting this and doing that. Part of a huge criminal enterprise. And I'm just like, no. My co-defendant comes 10 minutes later and I'm showing him and we're on the phone. I'm trying to get in contact with my mom.
I don't remember the phone number vividly. I finally get a hold of her. The Rikers had been calling her because at this point it's 3, 4 p.m. She's my emergency contact. Hey, is Steven coming into work? Is everything okay? Rikers Island does not even know what's going on.
This was a whole operation that had to do with a slew of departments of Department of Corrections, Department of Investigations, DEA, ATF. All of these organizations came about just... To look at me and I'm like, this can't be. What about the Colombian guy? What about the Dominican guy? The pieces start coming together. And I realized that I'm here because they were watching the Colombian guy.
That's what I think. That's not that's not exactly what happened.
They got 17 other.
Yeah, it was all over the place again. I don't know where I'm going. I don't know what's going on. Luckily for corrections, when officers do get in trouble, there's a union that backs them up. The Union Benevolent Association of Correction Officers.
Yeah, but I'm sure that doesn't last long when it's a criminal investigation.
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Chapter 7: What lessons does Steven share about his experiences?
Like I'm expecting a 50, 70 K, like, you know, and I look at my lawyer, he goes, I'll talk to you in a bit. I'm looking at my mom. She made it. She was with my girlfriend at the time. And I'm just like, I don't know what I'm getting, what I got myself into.
Sale of what? Okay.
Anything A1 in New York City consists of whatever it is. If it's eight ounces or more, it's considered an A1 felony. Okay. We get back to the cell, and I'm like, man, this is big. The lawyer comes back. He goes, listen, I'll see you in the morning. You'll probably end up in Westchester County or Nassau County. Nassau County is all the way in Long Island.
Westchester is in Yonkers, maybe 25 minutes out from where Rikers Island is. Now, I realize that I'm in deep shit.
get to westchester county they come and pick me up they take me there there's no words that i don't see my partner anymore i'm by myself and i'm just like what did i get myself into you know i don't even know how to explain this to myself we get to westchester county i get to the intake area the warden comes in the captain comes in and they goes hey listen we know what's going on you're a member of service so we suggest you go to pc
And I'm like, well, I don't want to go to PC. Like, you know, I always knew that PC was not a place to be. It was the worst of the worst. It was a lockdown. It was an escorted movement. And I'm just like, I don't think I need PC. I've never hurt anybody. I'm not here for hurting anybody. Like, I'd rather go to general population.
There is no way that as a uniformed officer still, because you're innocent to proving guilty, correct? Right. So you're still a city employee, whether I want to believe it or not, even though I know deep down it's over and I would never be a city employee again. They told me, listen, you're going to PC, sign this paper, wear this armor sweatsuit, you want a large, extra large.
And they're just going through the motions. They don't care that I'm a correctional officer. You know why? Because I'm not a correctional officer anymore.
Right.
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