| Peter
C. Harvey, Attorney General Division
Of Criminal Justice For Further Information Contact: John R. Hagerty Division of Criminal Justice (609) 984-1936 |
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| Order
- Criminal Action Public Employee>> Waiver of Indictment >> Accusation>> |
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| NEWARK
POLICE OFFICER PLEADS GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY AS PART OF ROGUE ACTIVITY TO SHAKE-DOWN CRIMINAL SUSPECTS Division of Criminal Justice & Newark PD Continue Corruption Investigation... Additional Officers To Be Charged... |
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| Newark
-- Attorney General Peter C. Harvey announced that the Division of Criminal
Justice, in concert with the Newark Police Department, has obtained a guilty
plea from a Newark Police Officer on charges that he abused his office by
“shaking-down” and stealing cash and other items from purported
drug dealers and other individuals. The state investigation targeting corruption
and other potential illegal activities by additional Newark police officers
remains ongoing. Attorney General Harvey and Newark Police Director Anthony F. Ambrose, III said the continuing investigation targets rouge police officers suspected of operating outside police operations and procedures and that additional charges against other officers is anticipated. Harvey and Ambrose noted that the overwhelming majority of Newark police officers serve and protect the public welfare with the goal of making Newark a safer city in which to live and work. According to Vaughn L. McKoy, Director, Division of Criminal Justice, Newark Police Officer Tryone Dudley, 37, Newark, pleaded guilty before Mercer County Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg on Sept. 23 to a criminal Accusation which charged one count of conspiracy to commit official misconduct – a third degree crime punishable by up to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000. As part of the guilty plea, Dudley will forfeit his public position as a police officer and will cooperate with the ongoing investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice and the Newark Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau. Sentencing is pending the completion of the investigation. Pursuant to the Accusation and guilty plea, Dudley, employed as a Newark police officer since 1998, admitted that he, along with at least six other Newark police officers, “roughed-up” drug dealers and other individuals on the streets of Newark in order to steal money and other items of value. The Accusation charged that from December, 2002 - April, 2004, Dudley and other Newark police officers engaged in criminal acts including official misconduct, theft, tampering with public records, and falsifying police reports as part of an ongoing conspiracy to steal money from criminal suspects. The Accusation charged that Dudley obtained more than $500 from criminal suspects as part of the conspiracy to steal money. Specifically, the Accusation charged that on Feb. 8, Dudley and other Newark police officers unlawfully entered and unlawfully searched an apartment located at 530A S. 19th St. and, to cover up the illegal activity, filed false reports to police supervisors. In pleading guilty to the Accusation,
Dudley identified seven Newark police officers as participants in the
alleged illegal conduct as Darius Smith, Lawrence Furlow, Ismael Lespier,
Angel Vila, Mario DaSilva, Onofre Cabezas and Lawee Colbert. Newark Police
Director Ambrose has initiated immediate internal actions and has reassigned
the seven police officers identified and alleged by Dudley in the Superior
Court proceedings to have knowledge of the illegal activities to administrative
duties pending the completion of the investigation. In announcing the guilty plea, Attorney General Harvey and Director McKoy noted that the Division of Criminal Justice has established a toll-free “Corruption Tipline” for the public to report corruption, police misconduct and other illegal activities. The statewide “Crime TipLine” is: 1-866-TIPS-4CJ. Additionally, the public can log-on to the Division of Criminal Justice Web Page at www.njdcj.org to electronically report suspected wrongdoing. All information received via the Division of Criminal Justice will remain confidential. The Division of Criminal Justice investigation was coordinated by Assistant Attorney General David Brody and Deputy Attorney General Mark Eliades of the Organized Crime & Racketeering Bureau. Newark Police Department Internal Affairs Bureau Lt. Umar Hakeem and Sgt. William Thomas, and State Investigator Joseph Waters of the Division of Criminal Justice led the investigation. A copy of the Accusation and related documents is available via the Division of Criminal Justice web page at www.njdcj.org.
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