A New Orleans jail worker was sentenced Thursday to 21/2 years in prison for helping 10 inmates escape through a hole behind a toilet after shutting off the water.

Dig deeper: Custodian Sterling Williams, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of malfeasance in office for clearing the way for one of the largest jailbreaks in recent U.S. history.

In May 2025, after Williams shut off the water in a cell, 10 inmates removed a toilet, crawled through a gap in the wall and scaled a fence out of the jail.