A New Jersey State Police Deputy, arrested on suspicion of swiping drugs from the county prosecutor's evidence room, was slapped on a 50-count indictment detailing the misdeeds of the fallen officer, including $600,000 in bank deposits that were not obtained from his officer's salary.
Kevin T. Matthew, 48, of Cedar Grove, has been suspended from his job at the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office since his arrest in December 2023.
On Wednesday, the state Attorney General's Office announced that Matthew had charged him with stealing, marked cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, as evidence.
Matthew's alleged crimes that occurred between January 2019 and November 2023 included large bank deposits of up to about $600,000.
The money was deposited in a small number to not travel the bank's federal requirements to report transactions of more than $10,000 each day – “doesn't stem from pay and compensation as a sworn law enforcement officer and is not traceable,” the statement said.
“The alleged misconduct by the defendant represents a spectacular and significant damage to the public,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement.
“This case highlights the corrosion effects that corruption has on public safety and trust,” he continued. “Instead of making Bergen County safer, the indictment alleges that the defendant has repeatedly withdrawn from a large number of dangerous drugs already seized by law enforcement.
“The conduct of this suspect is a betrayal of this officer's colleague, his agency, his community and his vows, and the discovery of the Great Jue reflects the seriousness of this suspicious action.”
The drugs Matthew allegedly stole were linked to nine different criminal cases, the Attorney General said.
Matthew has been charged with financially promoting, possession with the intent to distribute criminal activity, official misconduct, tampering with public records and other drug and financial crimes.
This developing story.
