Douglas Montero
The New York Post
NEW YORK — More than 150 Correction Department workers flooded a Bronx courtroom yesterday in a show of support for a veteran supervisor who was charged with assault in the beating of a convicted killer who pummeled a female guard.
Assistant Deputy Warden Edwin Diaz is also accused of filing a false report after the September 2008 smackdown of Jesus Alejandro, 22, at Rikers Island.
Diaz, a 26-year department veteran and a former US Marine, quietly pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, which could land him in jail for up to three years.
“If 150 people show up for his arraignment, I think it says a lot about who he is as a person,” said his lawyer, Kenneth Gomez.
Diaz was released on his own recognizance and is expected to return to court April 27.
Copyright 2012 N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc.