Former Paterson robbery squad sergeant has agreed to repay city $200K

Joe Malinconico

PATERSON — Former Sgt. Michael Cheff, the supervisor of the infamous robbery squad of rogue cops, has agreed to repay Paterson $200,000 for money he received from the city before his conviction, officials announced Monday.

Paterson had been trying to recoup $309,054 from Cheff for what he received while on paid leave after the charges were filed against him but before his conviction. Instead, Mayor Andre Sayegh’s administration settled for about 65% of what it had been seeking.

Cheff has agreed to forgo a $50,000 leave time payment as part of the $200,000 deal. He also has sent Paterson a check for $15,000. Officials said the rest would be provided through an installment plan of $900 per month after Cheff is released from prison, which is scheduled to happen this November.

Story continues below photo gallery.

“This is definitely a financial and moral victory for our residents,” said the city’s law director, Aymen Aboushi.

The lawsuit against Cheff seeking repayment also targeted his five robbery squad underlings: Jonathan Bustios, Eudy Ramos, Frank Toledo, Daniel Pent and Matthew Torres. Paterson is looking to get back a total of $129,000 from the five, all of whom had much lower salaries than Cheff did and spent much less time on paid leave than he did.

Paterson Police Sgt. Michael Cheff (right), is shown seconds after walking out of federal court, in Newark. Cheff was there after being arrested by the FBI Tuesday morning. Cheff is the eighth member of the Paterson Police Department to get arrested in a corruption probe which started more than three years ago. Cheff is currently suspended without pay. Tuesday, January 7, 2020

The robbery squad members were able to continue being paid by the city while facing criminal charges because of long-standing provisions in their union contracts. Those provisions remain in Paterson’s police labor agreements.

The robbery squad became the first group of convicted Paterson officers targeted by litigation seeking to recoup the money they got while essentially on paid suspensions. Officials said they may use this instance as a precedent to go after others in the future.

The lawyer who represented Cheff in the repayment lawsuit could not be reached for comment. Paterson police union leaders did not make any statements about the Cheff settlement.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Former Paterson NJ police sergeant will repay city $200K

Advertisement