A New Jersey police lieutenant named Kevin T. Matthew from Cedar Grove is facing a 50-count indictment for reportedly taking large amounts of drugs from an evidence room and depositing around $600,000 in suspicious bank transactions. The lieutenant, who has been suspended from his job at the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office since December 2023, was arrested for removing narcotics from the office’s evidence room.
The state attorney general’s office unveiled the extensive indictment accusing Matthew of stealing cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl that were marked as evidence, with quantities suggesting an intent to distribute. The crimes allegedly took place between January 2019 and November 2023, and the indictment also includes details of the bank deposits totaling approximately $600,000. These deposits were divided into smaller amounts to avoid triggering the banks’ requirement to report transactions exceeding $10,000 daily.
The attorney general’s office emphasized that the money obtained by Matthew was not linked to his salary as a law enforcement officer. The actions of the officer have been described as a serious breach of public trust, with Attorney General Matthew Platkin expressing disappointment and concern over the impact of corruption on public safety and trust.
Matthew, who worked in the office’s Special Victims Unit rather than narcotics, had access to databases containing information on narcotics cases and seized evidence due to his rank. Despite not being directly involved in narcotics cases, he reportedly requested evidence from these cases and removed drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl that had previously been tested for court use. Upon returning the drugs, discrepancies were noted, suggesting that he had removed some of the substances.
The investigation into Matthew’s activities by the attorney general’s office has tarnished the reputation of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, which operates as the top law enforcement agency in Bergen County and oversees numerous police departments in the region.
In nine separate criminal cases, Matthew is accused of making numerous cash deposits at multiple banks that could not be linked to his official salary. A Trenton grand jury indictment alleges that Matthew failed to report this income on his taxes. The charges against the lieutenant include financial crimes, drug-related offenses, official misconduct, tampering with public records, and filing fraudulent tax returns. If found guilty, Matthew could face an extended prison sentence and substantial fines. His lawyer, Charles Sciarra, did not provide a statement when contacted. Upon his arrest, authorities discovered razor blades in his office that tested positive for cocaine. Surveillance footage captured Matthew carrying bags large enough to transport narcotics to and from the agency’s Paramus headquarters. When Matthew was apprehended, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II denounced his actions as a flagrant violation of the law by a high-ranking officer entrusted to enforce it.
