Former Essex County, NJ, Sheriff’s Officer Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud

• Former Essex County cop Ryan Terry pleaded guilty to bank fraud
• The scheme involved stealing checks and recruiting others to launder money
• Terry faces up to 30 years in prison and $1 million in fines

Former Essex County Officer Admits Bank Fraud

A former Essex County Sheriff's Officer has admitted his role in a bank fraud conspiracy and now faces decades behind bars.

Last week, 32-year-old Ryan L. Terry of Piscataway pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of bank fraud.

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Details of the Conspiracy

Federal authorities say Terry, who was a cop with the Orange Police Department at the time, was part of a multi-person operation that stole checks from the mail, deposited those checks into bank accounts controlled by the group, and then withdrew the money before the bank or the victims became aware of what was going on.

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They cited an example from June 2023 where a company mailed a business check for over $50,000, which was stolen and then altered so it could be deposited into an account that was controlled by Terry and his co-conspirators. After the stolen check cleared, the group then withdrew the money from the account and split the proceeds.

Terry then continued to actively recruit other members to the conspiracy.

Specifically, he recruited individuals who had long-standing bank accounts to continue the scheme of depositing stolen checks and withdrawing the funds before the bank or the victims of the stolen checks were aware of the fraud.

Consequences

The bank fraud conspiracy and the bank fraud charges both carry up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 21st.

United States Attorney Alina Habba thanked the FBI and the New Jersey State Police for their work in this case.