Edison police officers charged with racketeering in sweeping indictment
NEW BRUNSWICK – A grand jury has returned a 24-count indictment charging four suspended Edison police officers with racketeering, bribery, theft, money laundering and witness tampering, among other charges, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone announced Friday.
Sgt. Ioannis (John) , 43, of Edison; Patrolman James Panagoulakos, 36, of Jackson; Patrolman Gregory Makras, 38, of Cranford; and Sgt. Brian Rossmeyer, 45, of Bridgewater, also were charged in the sweeping indictment with conspiracy, official misconduct, pattern of official misconduct, hindering apprehension, fabricating evidence, falsifying documents, failure to pay income tax, filing fraudulent tax returns, retaliating against a witness and retaliation for past official action, Ciccone said.
A lengthy internal affairs investigation found that from 2016 to 2018, the officers allegedly were involved in a scheme designed to exploit the Edison Police Department’s extra-duty job assignments, by getting paid for extra-duty jobs for which they did not appear, according to the prosecutor.
The officers, who volunteered to take these extra assignments, had full police responsibilities while assigned to the extra-duty jobs, which included directing traffic for utility companies and providing security services for local businesses and residential communities, the prosecutor said.
The investigation also found that Mpletsakis allegedly stole from the Police Benevolent Association by using a PBA debit card to make unauthorized purchases for personal items and used his executive position on the Edison PBA Local 75 to defraud Edison and the PBA, the prosecutor said.
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A fifth officer, Paul Pappas, also was charged, but he pleaded guilty after entering into an agreement with the prosecutor's office in October 2019.
The officers originally were charged on June 1, 2018, and were indicted by a grand jury on Oct. 19, 2019.
Four days later, they made a motion to dismiss the indictment, alleging the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office had failed to present exculpatory evidence to the grand jury, failed to correct misstatements made to the grand jury and failed to establish all elements of the crimes.
On April 16, 2020, Superior Court Judge Pedro Jimenez dismissed the indictment without prejudice, permitting the prosecutor’s office to present the case again to a grand jury. Jimenez’s order also dismissed the complaints.
At that time, however, grand jury presentations were suspended because of the pandemic.
On May 8, 2020, new complaints were signed against the officers.
But Jimenez dismissed those complaints on July 6, 2020, saying that the criminal complaints had been filed “in callous disregard” of his April 2020 decision.
The officers then filed suit against the township, asking that they be reinstated and receive back pay. Superior Court Judge Arthur Bergman granted that action on Sept. 14, 2020.
In-person grand jury sessions resumed on June 15, 2021.
The indictment comes as the Edison Police Department has been working to rebuild its image. Numerous Edison officers have been convicted of criminal charges, including Michael Dotro, who is serving 20 years in state prison for setting fire to the home of a superior officer.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Edison NJ police officers indicted on racketeering charges
