Patterson — michael sheff, A former Paterson police sergeant was convicted for his role in overseeing the notorious crime A “robbery squad” of rogue cops, He lost his attempt to get it The conspiracy conviction was overturned.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit was not persuaded by Schiff’s argument that he did not conspire with the five convicted patrol officers he supervised — all of whom testified against him at trial.
Schiff began serving his prison sentence in January at Gilmer Federal Correctional Institution in West Virginia. He is scheduled to be released on February 6, 2025, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Schiff’s lawyer, Jeffrey Rosamond, declined to comment on the appeals court ruling. The lawyer said no decision had been made on whether to ask the US Supreme Court to intervene.
Full coverage: Paterson’s ‘Robbery Squad’: FBI investigation leads to convictions and federal prison sentences
What did the Court of Appeal decision say?
“The evidence in this case was sufficient for a rational trier to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Schiff was a member of the conspiracy,” the appeals court said in a decision last month. “Schiff was the supervisor of the robbery squad while its members were committing illegal acts.
“There was a clear level of mutual trust between Schiff and the members, who viewed him as ‘part of the team’ and knew he would look after them,” the appeals court said. “Members of the Robbery Squad specifically went to Schiff to get reports signed off instead of their other supervisor. Schiff accepted the cut off of stolen money from patrol officers and maintained a consistent method of payment with the Robbery Squad.
“Furthermore, Schiff helped the Robbery Squad evade Internal Affairs suspicions by alerting members when Internal Affairs became suspicious,” the court said. “Schiff asserts that he simply had a laissez-faire attitude toward the actions of the robbery squad, but that there was no agreement to work toward a common goal. However, evidence of a coordinated cover-up suggests that the crimes “were committed as part of an agreement, rather than as random, uninformed acts.” “Coordinated.”
The city files a lawsuit to pay arrears: The city of Paterson is requesting $438,000 from the Robbery Squad.
What about the other former Paterson police officers involved?
One of Schiff’s co-conspirators, matthew torres, He was placed on probation for his role in the Robbery Squad crimes, which included extortion and beatings of people illegally arrested by officers. Danielle girl, Another police officer convicted in the case completed his prison term on September 22, federal corrections records show.
The other three – audi ramos, Jonathan Bustios And Frank Toledo – It is scheduled to be released in February and March 2024.
The city of Paterson has filed a lawsuit against the six corrupt police officers, demanding compensation $438,000 in wages They obtained it while on administrative leave during the period between arrest and initial conviction.
The judge handling this civil case decided that five of the criminals – all except Schiff – had failed because they did not defend themselves. Lawyers familiar with the case said Torres, Toledo, Bustius, Bent and Ramos likely defaulted because they did not have any savings or other assets that could be seized in the lawsuit.
Schiff disputed the city’s reimbursement lawsuit. Patterson is trying to recover $309,054 from him.
Joe Malinconico is editor of The Patterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson New Jersey Police Robbery Squad Sergeant’s Appeal Denied
