6th Paterson Cop Pleads Guilty In FBI Probe

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ —Another Paterson police officer pleaded guilty to charges filed against him following an FBI probe that lead to him and six others in the department being arrested.

Eudy Ramos, 32, of Paterson pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to conspiracy to violate individuals' civil rights and filing a false police reported, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced Monday in a news release. He also pleaded guilty to information charging him with using unreasonable and excessive force in violations of individuals' civil rights.

Ramos, along with other Paterson police officers, including Jonathan Bustios, Daniel Pent, Matthew Torres, Frank Toledo, and others, stopped and searched motor vehicles, without justification, and stole cash and other items from the occupants, Carpenito said.

Ramos and the other officers stopped and searched people on the street, and illegally took their money, Carpenito said. They also arrested people in Paterson, took cash from them during the arrests, and split it among themselves, he said.

To cover up what they did, Ramos and the other officers filed false police reports, Carpenito said.

In an incident from Feb. 1, 2017, Ramos and Daniel Pent stopped a vehicle and stole about $10,000 from the passenger, splitting it among themselves, Carpenito said. They did not mention the $10,000 in the police report they filed about the incident, he said.

Authorities also said Ramos "routinely used unreasonable and excessive force" that "caused bodily harm," including a "running tax," to people they arrested who ran from them, authorities said. If someone ran from them, Ramos and others would "tax" the person by hitting them several times, officials said.

Ramos also used "brake-checking" to hurt someone he arrested and put in the back of his police car, without securing their seat belt, officials said. The person slammed his head against the divider, and Ramos jokingly said, Carpenito said in the news release.

Ramos faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on both the violation civil rights and deprivation of civil rights charges. The false records count has a maximum penalty of 20 year in prison. The maximum fine for each count is $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8.

Other officers charged in the case were: Jonathan Bustios, Daniel Pent, Matthew Torres, and Frank Toledo.

Bustios pleaded guilty in December to conspiring to deprive individuals of their civil rights and to extortion under color of official right.

Torres pleaded guilty in May 2019 to conspiring to deprive individuals of their civil rights and to filing a false police report. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 18.

Toledo pleaded guilty in July to conspiring to deprive individuals of their civil rights, using unreasonable and excessive force against individuals in Paterson, and filing a false police report. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 22.

Pent was charged on March 26 by complaint with conspiring to deprive individuals of their civil rights.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com