Lt. Kevin Matthews
A Bergen County police lieutenant is charged with stealing cocaine and fentanyl that was drug evidence used or set to be used in upcoming trials.
Lt. Kevin Matthew, 48, faces 50 criminal counts related to the alleged scheme. Prosecutors said he stole evidence from at least nine criminal cases and tried to sell the drugs for personal profit. Investigators said Matthew has more than $600,000 in unexplained cash deposits in his bank accounts.
New Jersey State Attorney General Matthew Platkin said Matthew’s theft of drugs from the Bergen County evidence locker was “…a stunning, tremendous disservice to the public.”
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WATCH HERE“Instead of making Bergen County safer, the indictment alleges the defendant repeatedly withdrew from the evidence vault large amounts of dangerous drugs that had already been seized by law enforcement,” Platkin said.
Matthew is a member of the BCPO Special Victims Unit, not a narcotics unit. The drugs he allegedly took were not connected to any criminal investigation he was involved in, but he was able to sign out the evidence by scouring a work database that had records of drugs tested by the NJ State Police in connection with numerous criminal trials. Matthew allegedly stole drugs from 2019 through 2023. Officials alleged Matthew would later return the evidence with different material and weights than the cocaine, heroin and fentanyl he had signed out.
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SIGN UP Matthew is also charged with tax fraud, as prosecutors allege he did not report the $600,000 in extra cash he had deposited into his accounts.
He also faces drug possession and distribution, official misconduct, tampering with public records and other criminal counts.
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Matthew’s defense attorney Charles Sciarra in a statement said his client "maintains his innocence." Sciarra also accused the attorney general’s office of having “…dragged my client’s name through the media mud” for more than a year.
“Sixteen months later, they release a lengthy indictment that gets us no closer to the alleged conspiracy, whose alleged participants remain a mystery,” Sciarra said.
Sciarra added the attorney general office has “a documented disastrous track record of recent failed investigations” and “a known bias against law enforcement.”
If convicted, prosecutors said Matthew could face 10 to 20 years in prison.
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella referred questions to the state attorney general's office and said the allegations were not reflective of his office.
"The aberrant behavior of a single employee must not overshadow the consistent, diligent work of the men and women of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office," Musella said. "While this betrayal of the public trust cannot be overstated, it is not and can never be a reflection of the rest of our dedicated employees who work hard each day to protect the citizens of Bergen County."
Prosecutor Musella further concluded, "By continuing to assist the Attorney General's Office, and by working hand in hand with our local partners in law enforcement, we have persevered through this incident. Without question, we remain resolute in our duties."
Prosecutor Musella thanks Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability for their assistance with this matter, and he pledges continued cooperation in support of it.
“The aberrant behavior of a single employee must not overshadow the consistent, diligent work of the men and women of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office," Musella said in a statement. "While this betrayal of the public trust cannot be overstated, it is not and can never be a reflection of the rest of our dedicated employees who work hard each day to protect the citizens of Bergen County."
"Once these allegations came to light, we promptly reported the matter to the Office of the Attorney General, and I committed this entire Office to fully cooperate with a thorough, impartial investigation," he continued. "I know all members of this Office are marching forward, beyond any shadow cast by this breach of trust, and they do so faithfully — as they should."
