A New Jersey law enforcement official is facing criminal charges for tampering with narcotics evidence without authorization, officials announced Tuesday.
Lt. Kevin T. Matthew is accused of signing out cocaine and fentanyl from the evidence room for more than a year, specifically from October 2022 to November 2023, according to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin. An inspection of the 47-year-old’s financial records shows cash deposits at multiple banks during the same time period on different days.
“As alleged, the pattern of deposits indicates an intention to avoid the banks’ federal requirement to report cash transactions in excess of $10,000 aggregated daily,” officials said.
The alleged actions relating to the narcotics are considered outside of Matthew’s job description at the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, where he was assigned to the Special Victims Unit. Officials said he was spotted carrying bags “of a size sufficient to contain the narcotics” in and out of the facility.
It was not until early last month, when allegations were made against Matthew that he attempted to place the narcotics in an authorized storage area; however, “some items were returned to the vault in conditions substantially different than when they were signed out.”
Per officials, it was returned in a manner that appeared to be the same evidence he took out of the area. In addition, investigators allegedly discovered two razor blades in his office that tested positive for cocaine residue.
Matthew is charged with tampering with public records or information, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and drug paraphernalia, two counts of official misconduct, and structuring financial transactions. He was placed on leave on Nov. 3.
It comes following a probe from the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).
“The law applies to everyone, including those who wear the badge,” Thomas J. Eicher, Executive Director of the OPIA, said in a statement. “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.”
