But on Friday, authorities accused one former inmate of the massive New York City jail of sneaking back in.
Yonkers resident Matthew Matagrano was arrested at a Bronx courthouse and charged with impersonating a Department of Correction investigator.
Officials say that for at least a week, Matagrano used a badge and ID card to get into the Rikers complex and roam the jail.
The 36-year-old has a lengthy rap sheet that includes a conviction for sodomy and sexual abuse that landed him on the state's sex offender registry.
He had also previously been caught posing as a Board of Education worker to enter schools.
It wasn't immediately clear if Matagrano had a lawyer yet.
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