Ex-Con Accused of Sneaking Back into Jail Faces New Sex Charges

Matthew Matagrano was previously charged with impersonating a Department of Corrections investigator

A man accused of repeatedly using phony credentials to gain entry into Rikers Island and other New York City jails is facing sex charges allegedly committed during the break-ins.

A new criminal complaint accuses Matthew Matagrano of groping and strip-searching an inmate during one of those visits on Feb. 27, according to the New York Daily News.

Court papers say Matagrano ordered his victim into a cell and forced the man to strip and be searched. The inmate filed a complaint, resulting in the new charge of burglary as a sexually motivated felony.

The complaint says the 36-year-old Matagrano was "pretending to be an investigator from the Intelligence Unit."

The News says the Department of Correction didn't respond to a request for comment.

Matagrano, a former inmate, was previously indicted for burglary, criminal impersonation and other charges. He pleaded not guilty.

Matagrano is a registered sex offender with a lengthy rap sheet that includes convictions for sodomy and sexual abuse. He had previously been caught posing as a Board of Education worker to enter two schools and rifle through student files. In 2004, he pleaded guilty to attempted burglary in connection with that case.  

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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