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Paterson police sergeant found guilty of corruption | Paterson Times

Paterson police sergeant found guilty of corruption

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A federal jury convicted a Paterson police sergeant for conspiring to violate people’s civil rights and filing a false police report on Thursday.

Michael Cheff, 51, of Oakland, was convicted on conspiracy to deprive persons of civil rights and falsification of a police report after a five-day trial.

U.S. attorney Philip R. Sellinger’s news release stated:

“Eudy Ramos, Daniel Pent, Jonathan Bustios, Matthew Torres, and Frank Toledo were police officers with the Paterson Police Department. Cheff, who was a sergeant, supervised their activities and approved their reports and other paperwork related to arrests and seizures of money, narcotics, and firearms. Ramos, Pent, Bustios, Torres, and Toledo, while on official duty, violated the civil rights of individuals in Paterson. They stopped and searched motor vehicles without any justification and stole cash and other items from the occupants. They also illegally stopped and searched individuals in buildings or on the streets of Paterson and seized cash from them. They concealed their activities by submitting to Cheff false reports that omitted, or falsified, their illegal activities. Cheff signed off on those false police reports and routinely received a portion of these stolen monies from some of these officers.

On Nov. 14, 2017, Cheff joined Bustios, Ramos, and Torres in stealing cash from an apartment in Paterson. Bustios, Ramos, and Torres stopped and arrested an individual in Paterson. The officers went to the individual’s apartment and were joined by Cheff. After the arrested individual was coerced to sign a consent to search form, and while the arrested individual was handcuffed in a police car, Cheff, Bustios, and Ramos went to search the individual’s apartment. After obtaining consent to search the apartment by lying to the individual’s mother, Cheff, Bustios, and Ramos then searched the individual’s room and located a safe inside the room. Cheff took money and narcotics from the safe and put the money in his pocket. Cheff handed a small portion of the money stolen from the safe to Bustios and told Bustios to log it into evidence. Cheff also approved a police report that falsely stated that the officers had recovered $319 from on top of a shelf in the individual’s room.

Later that day, Bustios and Toledo exchanged text messages discussing Cheff’s theft of money. Bustios said, among other things, that Cheff “got us for over a stack today,” that “there was a safe” and that Cheff “grabbed the cash.” According to the individual whose apartment was searched, the safe contained approximately $2,700, and all of it was missing after the search was completed.”

Cheff has been employed by the Paterson police force for 26 years. He faces 30 years in prison.

Ramos, Pent, Bustios, Torres, and Toledo previously pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing, authorities said.

  • HankMorgan

    No words…

  • https://www.facebook.com/app_scoped_user_id/10153711851663449/ Jonathan Greene

    Wow. That's some Cop Land / Goodfellas kinda shiz. Total disgrace to the police.

  • J. Brown.

    What was Jerry's cut?!

  • J. Brown.

    Why wasn't he taken into custody until sentencing like everyone else?

  • Resident41

    Crazy how they ratted each other out to save their skin. Shows that not only are they corrupted but they’re willing to do whatever to save themselves. No someone I would want around me.

  • MarquinhoGaucho

    Good , now go after the corrupt BOE and politicians

  • John

    One big strike this officer had against him is being WHITE.

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