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A Massachusetts lawyer has been charged with smuggling synthetic marijuana into a Rhode Island jail, according to federal authorities. Theresa DiJoseph, 50, from Woburn, was arrested alongside three others following allegations of attempting to pass off the drugs disguised as legal paperwork to an inmate. DiJoseph, encountered the charges of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, provision of a prohibited item to an inmate, and making false statements, as reported by MassLive.
Along with DiJoseph, Hanasa Stedford, 21, of Hamden, Connecticut; and inmates Shawn Hart, 46, and Samuel Douglas, 26, were implicated in the scheme. Hart, already awaiting trial on drug and firearm charges in Massachusetts, engaged in a relationship with DiJoseph, and both bandied about feelings that could be more than professional, as per a criminal complaint cited by NBC Boston. Caught on security cameras, DiJoseph met with the Connecticut-based Stedford, another detainee’s girlfriend, to allegedly coordinate the contraband’s transfer before attempting to deliver it during a visit on December 1st.
The substance-laden papers were initially sniffed out by a correctional officer at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, suspecting their unusual aroma. Upon further examination, it was determined that 10 sheets had been soaked in synthetic marijuana, which could rake in a substantial sum on the jail’s black market. The FBI laboratory later confirmed the presence of the controlled substance on the documents. In the aftermath of the seizure, DiJoseph, apparently under the influence herself, fretted about her ability to drive, “I can’t even drive,” she texted to Hart, betraying the consequences of her actions, according to court documents obtained by NBC Boston.
On a separate account, while incarcerated at the facility before the December incident, Hart carried out communication with DiJoseph, including sporadic intimate messages and exchanges related to sports betting on his behalf. All this conducted through a Wyatt-issued tablet, as disclosed by the U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Zachary Cunha’s office and reported by MassLive. The complex web of communication and the apparent contraband conspiracy culminates now in a stark display of misguided loyalty and breaches of law’s sacred trust.
DiJoseph’s entanglement reflects not just a personal failing but also points to deeper issues of corruption and exploitation within the penal system. Theresa DiJoseph, with the others charged, is expected to face these serious allegations in U.S. District Court in Providence. Details around Shawn Hart’s representation or defense in light of the allegations have yet to be made clear.
