Authorities in the US have accused a former inmate of the Rikers Island jail in New York City of sneaking back into the prison.

Yonkers resident Matthew Matagrano is 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 Rikers and roam the jail.

The 36-year-old has a lengthy list of convictions that includes one for sodomy and sexual abuse that landed him on the state's sex offender registry.

It is unclear why he wanted to get into the jail, but he had also previously been caught posing as a Board of Education worker to enter schools.

It was not immediately clear whether Matagrano had a lawyer.

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