Lieutenant for Bergen prosecutor faces multiple charges for removal of narcotics evidence

A lieutenant from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office is being accused of removing narcotics evidence, including cocaine and fentanyl, from storage without lawful authorization and later returning the drugs but in "substantially different" conditions, officials said.

Kevin T. Matthew, 47, of Cedar Grove, has been charged with official misconduct, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and structuring financial transactions according to authorities, the Attorney General announced Tuesday.

The release from AG Matthew J. Platkin also states the lieutenant had razor blades with cocaine residue in his office.

In an investigation done by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability’s Corruption Bureau, Matthew is accused of entering police databases for drug cases, and "signed out narcotics from the main evidence vault of the BCPO’s office in Paramus."

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Matthew reportedly had no authority to make this transaction because officials say he is part of the BCPO’s Special Victims Unit, and not a narcotics unit. His job duties do not include authorized purpose to access narcotics evidence.

The press release also states the defendant's bank records reveal alarming information. According to the New Jersey Attorney General's office, Matthew was making a series of cash deposits at various financial institutions spread out across dates in which match the time period where the evidence was removed. The report claims this pattern indicates "an intention to avoid the banks’ federal requirement to report cash transactions in excess of $10,000 aggregated daily."

"As alleged, the defendant’s conduct constitutes a shocking and brazen disregard of the law by a high-ranking officer who was sworn to uphold the law," Platkin said in a statement.

Thomas J. Eicher, Executive director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability echoed the sentiments of the attorney general, "The law applies to everyone, including those who wear the badge. We are committed to strengthening the public’s faith in law enforcement and in the criminal justice system, and to taking action against officers whose alleged conduct damages communities’ trust and relationships with New Jersey’s courageous, self-sacrificing men and women in uniform.”

Matthew is facing five to 10 years in state prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, if convicted.

The AG's release states that he signed out narcotics evidence between October 2022 and November 2023. Matthew has been on leave since Nov. 3.

Authorities say, some items were returned to the vault in different conditions than when they were removed. The lieutenant claims the evidence he returned were presented as exactly the same as the items he allegedly removed from storage.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen County NJ lieutenant prosecutor faces multiple charges