Paterson NJ Police Department Takeover by NJ Attorney General - NBC New In one instance in February 2017, Pent and Ramostook $10,000 from a front seat passenger whom they charged with loitering in a drug area, and then filed police official reports that said the victim was carrying just $36, according to court records. Ramos, Pent, Bustios, Torres, and Toledo previously pleaded guilty; Toledo and Pent were sentenced Sept. 9, 2022, and Bustios, Torres and Ramos were sentenced Sept. 8, 2022. Wofford v. Paterson Police Dep't - Casetext "We did everything we could and brought in our federal partners to take these guys out.". And yet he still got to keep his life, said Hafeeza Freeman, a friend of Najee Seabrooks. Ramos was the sixth cop to plead guilty in the probe, admitting totaking $14,600 from people in five separate incidents from February 2017 through February 2018. He also admitted beating people he arrested in at least two instances. Finch, a 17-year veteran of the force, became the 11th Paterson cop arrested in just over three years when he was charged with assault, official misconduct and other offenses on June 11, 2021.. Still, he said, their testimony validated allegations Paterson residents have been making against city cops for many years. He was in the same police academy class as Pent and McAusland. Rogue New Jersey Cop Vows To Appeal Corruption Conviction Cheffs lawyer, John D. Lynch of Union City, has said his client is innocent and plans to take the case to trial to try to prove that. In March President Biden signed one of the bills, overriding revisions to the citys criminal code that reduced maximum penalties for some crimes. But now, Mr. Seabrooks, 31, had barricaded himself in a bathroom. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In his guilty plea, Bustios also implicated Paterson Police Officer Eudy Ramos and others for participating in the conspiracy with him. The Passaic County Prosecutors Office dropped 10 separate investigations targeting five Paterson cops who later admitted in federal court that they robbed and assaulted people in Paterson. PATERSON With a revised mission on the horizon, Paterson's community policing division is looking to open a second base of operations in the city's Northside neighborhood in the 1 Ward . Multiple officers testified that Cheff helped coerce the man into allowing him to search his apartment with the intent to steal money. Throughout the case, prosecutors described how Cheffs role allowed the officers to commit crimes and brutalize victims with little oversight. The five had all pleaded guilty and received. We will not tolerate the few bad officers who tarnish the badge., Whether local, state, or federal, those of us who carry a badge have to prove ourselves worthy every single day, FBI Special Agent in Charge James Dennehy, Newark Division, said. Copyright 2012-2023 Paterson Times all rights reserved. 0:00. There is no time limit on how soon after a federal conviction a sentencing must take place, according to the United States Attorneys Office in Newark. In April, Then was sentenced to six months in prison. But Ms. Gardner resigned, and Gov. He was holding people hostage. Lynch, Cheffs lawyer, said his client is working at another job during the delay in the court proceedings.