Prison officer on leave pending investigation

Alleged offensive meme subject of probe

The Department of Correction has placed an officer on administrative leave in the wake of allegations that he posted an offensive meme on his social media account.

Karen Martucci, director of external affairs for the department, said on Wednesday that corrections officer Anthony Marlak, a 12-year employee who has worked at Cheshire and Newtown’s Garner correctional institutes, was placed on paid administrative leave on Wednesday “pending an investigation.”

The investigation comes days after the Connecticut Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations called for Marlak’s termination in a letter sent to Department of Correction

Commissioner Angel Quiros on Friday.

CAIR-CT claims Marlak posted a meme on a Facebook account, under the pseudonym “Anthony David,” depicting five men hanging from a rope by their necks with the caption “Islamic Wind Chimes” and a comment reading: “Think I found the best meme on the planet!”

On Wednesday, Quiros responded to CAIR-CT with a letter saying he took “immediate action” and decided to initiate an investigation concerning Marlak’s “potential violations” of department policy.

“The Department of Corrections does not condone discrimination — or hatred directed towards — individuals or groups based on their religion, race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex,” Quiros wrote, reiterating a statement issued by the department on Monday.

CAIR-CT Chairman Farhan Memon welcomed the department’s decision on Wednesday evening, calling it “an important and appropriate first step to assure the public that bigotry and intolerance will not be tolerated in the Department of Corrections.”

“We appreciate the commissioner recognizing the importance of this issue and that swift action was necessary to maintain the public’s confidence, especially in light of news that extremism is growing in the law enforcement community,” he said.

Marlak claimed the meme was “doctored,” according to a Department of Correction report. However, the same report notes that Marlak “provided no evidence” to back up the claim.

But CAIR-CT said the meme “indicates a mindset of prejudice” in Marlak, which they claim manifested in other ways too.

Last year, the Department of Correction launched an investigation after incidents involving Marlak and two Muslim colleagues in March 2020.

The incidents date back to October 2019 when Marlak’s meme was reposted by Nderim Belica, a Muslim colleague, who condemned Marlak for his “bigotry” in the attached comments.

The reposting led to a back-and-forth online between Marlak and Belica, which later led Marlak to file a complaint with Connecticut State Police.

“Approximately a year and half ago I posted a picture regarding ISIS, which could be construed as anti Muslim slander. I posted this meme without intention of offending anyone. I do not have issues with the Muslim religion,” wrote Marlak in the police report, dated Nov. 1, 2019.

In the report, Marlak accused Belica of making “false accusations” to try and “slander his reputation.”

But Belica told the investigators in an interview that he felt “the department did not do enough to protect Muslims.” He claimed the department was “negligent” in its response to Marlak’s post.

Months later, in March 2020, Marlak and another

Muslim employee, Fawad Syed, the brother of the captain who initially filed a report regarding Marlak’s Facebook post, were involved in an expletive-laden confrontation, according to a department report.

Last month, the department suspended Marlak for five days, citing employee conduct, and transferred him for “disciplinary” reasons to Garner Correctional Institute, according to department records. Marlak was also ordered to undergo sexual harassment and discrimination training.

Belica was also suspended two days for violating employee conduct policies.

Marlak has also been accused of making “derogatory comments” about a Muslim inmate’s religion in June 2019 — a claim that he also denied, according to department records.