A corrections officer at the Essex County Correctional Facility has been charged with falsifying records after authorities say he learned there was an investigation into an inmate who died in the jail on his shift.

A second corrections officer at the jail also faces the same charge in a separate case that came to light when an inmate was assaulted.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II announced the charges in the same statement Monday afternoon, but a spokeswoman for the agency said the two cases are unrelated.

Raymond Distasi, 52, of Roxbury Township, did not make the required rounds that he logged into a jail book, authorities said. Authorities say he was working from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on March 17 and March 18, which aligns with the time Jose Recoba-Morales was jailed at the facility.

Essex County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Katherine Carter confirmed Recoba-Morales died during Distasi’s shift. She said Recoba-Morales died from a medical condition.

Assistant Prosecutor Jessica Apostolou, who is handling the case, said surveillance video evidence showed Distasi did not make the required checks on inmates he logged. He faces a third-degree count of tampering with public records.

Quasi Cary, 30, of Newark, faces the same charge after authorities accused him of making false entries in a jail logbook indicating he performed required rounds on Dec. 2, 2018. The discrepancies came to light following the assault of an inmate.

In that case, which is being handled by Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Alexander Albu, surveillance video evidence again allegedly showed Cary did not make the checks he listed.

Distasi and Cary were not arrested, the prosecutor’s office spokeswoman said. They were charged via summons and issued court appearances, scheduled for March 11.

It was not immediately clear if Distasi and Cary were suspended or still working at the jail, which is located in Newark. The jail's director did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards Bureau with the assistance of the Essex County Correctional Facility Internal Affairs Unit.

Conditions at the jail have come under increased scrutiny in recent months. The federal Department of Homeland Security issued a report in early 2019 that found unsanitary and unsafe conditions for U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees.

The county contracts with ICE to hold their detainees, but the jail is primarily for defendants charged with state crimes. The county has said it has already improved conditions that were found by the Homeland Security report.

Recoba-Morales, who died while in custody, was not an ICE detainee. He was being held on drug charges, an official previously told NJ Advance Media.

Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico.

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