A New York City Department of Correction officer forged the signature of a person incarcerated on Rikers Island to prevent him from meeting with his defense counsel, according to testimony provided at a Wednesday New York City Council hearing where attorneys said they are subject to hostile treatment by officers.

Attorneys from the Legal Aid Society, New York County Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Services and The Bronx Defenders said getting to meet with a client in a timely manner at Rikers Island frequently felt like “sheer luck” because of hours-long wait times and officers fabricating detainee refusals to meet with their attorneys.

Julia Tedesco, an attorney with the New York County Defender Services, said she was told her client refused to meet with her at a scheduled Nov.

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