NEW YORK — An inmate awaiting sentencing for repeatedly peddling drugs outside a Midtown fast food joint died early Saturday on Rikers Island, the first death of 2023 at the troubled jail complex, the Daily News has learned.
The lifeless body of Marvin Pines, 65, was found in the shower area of the island’s North Infirmary Command at 6:18 a.m. after suffering a seizure, said sources familiar with the case and the inmate’s attorney. He was housed at the unit, where the sickliest detainees are held, since his arrival at the jail last summer.
“It’s very sad,” said defense lawyer Javier Damien. “I just think Rikers Island needs to get better medical care ... You can’t deny there’s an issue with the medical care there. It’s a serious problem.”
Pines was due for sentencing on Feb. 21 after pleading guilty two months ago, and faced a year in state prison and one year of post-release supervision.
Last year, 19 inmates died on Rikers Island, spurring calls from inmate advocates for the jail’s closure. Sixteen people died on Rikers in 2021.
Pines, of Pennsylvania, was busted three times for drug possession and sale outside a McDonald’s on West 34th Street and Eighth Avenue, sources told the Daily News. He was twice released before a July 28, 2022, arrest led to his incarceration.
A source said four people overdosed near the McDonald’s on the day Pines was taken into custody, although there was never a direct link to the defendant.
When arrested in May, police recovered glassine envelopes stamped with the fast food giant’s logo and the words “I’m lovin’ it,” the source said. He pleaded guilty to all three charges in November and was remanded to Rikers Island.
“Any death in custody is a tragedy,” said Department of Corrections Commissioner Louis Molina. “We sincerely send our deepest condolences and sympathy to this individual’s family and loved ones. As with all deaths in custody, we are working with our partner agencies to conduct a full investigation.”
The commissioner said all deaths in custody are reviewed by the State Attorney General’s office and the Department of Investigation.
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