NAACP calls on Department of Justice to investigate rash of inmate deaths at Broward jail
FORT LAUDERDALE -- On January 2nd, 25-year-old Corbin Moberg was found unresponsive in his Broward jail cell. Efforts to revive him were not successful.
At 4:30 in the morning his father, Robert Moberg got a call from a Broward detective telling him the unthinkable: his son was gone.
"Corbin was one of the nicest boys. He made one mistake and now he paid for it," said Moberg.
Moberg and his attorney spoke to CBS Miami News reporter Joan Murray Tuesday about his mysterious death.
It comes on the heels of the NAACP on Monday asking the U.S. Department of Justice to open a probe into the Broward County Sheriff's Office and its management of county jails where 21 people have died while in custody, according to the civil rights agency.
Saying the sheriff's office had failed the community, the civil rights group called on federal authorities to step in.
"It's time for our Justice Department to intervene, and ensure that this tragic pattern of negligence is addressed, and any bad actors are held accountable," the group said in a statement posted online.
Marsha Ellison, president of the Broward NAACP chapter, said in the statement: "The alarming number of deaths and distressing incidents within Broward County Jails demands swift action. We call upon the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the Sheriff's Office's training and oversight, ensuring accountability for the lives lost and the well-being of those still in custody."
A spokesperson for Sheriff Gregory Tony said the county was expected to release a statement Tuesday about the NAACP's request. But the spokesperson pointed to a December 2022 statement in which the sheriff said more should be done to help inmates who suffer from mental illness while locked up.
At least four inmates, including Corbin Moberg, have died in the past month at the Broward jail.
Chief Public Defender Gordon Weekes took a tour of the facility last week and said he found problems. He has written BSO Sheriff Gregory Tony 3 times in recent weeks asking for outside oversight at the jails
Weekes said he visited jail cells, the medical facility and detox center. "We learned they are 15 percent understaffed and when you are understaffed you lose patience."
Besides Moberg, the in-custody fatalities include:
- Jenard Geffrard, 29, who was incarcerated at the jail last year and died during an explosive physical confrontation with his cellmate. Officials say Geffrard suffered from mental health issues before he was brutally beaten by a fellow cellmate who also was suffering from mental competency issues.
- The suicide of 27-year-old inmate Alvin Modeste, which led to at least one jail worker being placed on an administrative leave.
- The Jan. 2 death of Corbin Moberg, 27, whose cause of death remains under investigation. An autopsy and toxicology test results were pending.
- The passing of Joseph Kirk at the jail after he was arrested last week on a misdemeanor charge and taken to the jail detox unit before being found dead.
Moberg had been in jail for four years on a drug charge. His attorney Jim Lewis says he was getting close to being sentenced and likely would be spending a final year in jail.
Lewis says an autopsy showed no signs of trauma or any physical ailment. He says investigators are looking at a poison or what drugs could have caused his death. Lewis says they are awaiting a toxicology report.
But if it was a drug the question is how Moberg obtained a drug in jail.
Lewis says an investigation is warranted. "Is it short staff or not enough training?"
Sheriff Tony hasn't responded formally to the NAACP letter or the three inquiries from Weekes.
But he spoke on public radio last week saying the focus has to be on mental health.
"The goal should be checks and balances. There should be a processing center to divert individuals to a mental health facility where they can track their meds and get a psych evaluation," he said.
It's little comfort to Robert Moberg who is devastated over his youngest son's death.
"When he came into a room he made everyone smile. Nothing brought him down"