A correctional officer from Passaic County has admitted to assaulting a pretrial detainee and conspiring to obstruct justice. U.S. Attorney Alina Habba confirmed that Sergeant Donald Vinales, aged 39, entered a guilty plea on May 21, 2025. The proceedings took place before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark federal court.
Vinales faced charges of deprivation of rights under color of law and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Court documents revealed that on January 22, 2021, an incident at the Passaic County Jail led to an assault by officers including Vinales on a detainee who had earlier thrown a urine mixture at an officer.
The day following the incident, Vinales and his colleagues allegedly transported the detainee to an area without surveillance cameras referred to as a “blind spot.” There, they reportedly assaulted the handcuffed detainee by knocking him down and striking him multiple times. The detainee was hospitalized the next day with documented injuries.
Officers involved failed to report their use of force as required. In April 2022, after receiving subpoenas related to the investigation, Vinales and others allegedly conspired not to cooperate with authorities or disclose details about the assault.
Correctional Officer Lorenzo Bowden pleaded guilty in April 2024 for his role in obstructing justice and is awaiting sentencing.
Vinales’s potential penalties include up to ten years in prison for deprivation of rights and up to twenty years for conspiracy, along with fines reaching $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for September 30, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Habba acknowledged assistance from FBI special agents led by Acting Special Agent Terence G. Reilly in Newark and Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Division of Internal Affairs under Sheriff Thomas Adamo’s direction.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Levin and R. Joseph Gribko are representing the government in this case.
Charges against Sergeant Jose Gonzalez remain pending; he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
