Roger Then, Conspiring to Violate Civil Rights, New Jersey 2018

A Paterson police officer has been arrested and charged with conspiring to violate an individual’s civil rights and with misprision of felony for concealing the civil rights violation.

Roger Then, 29, of Paterson, was taken into custody by federal agents this morning and is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda D. Wettre in Newark federal court.

The charges stem from an incident on March 5, 2018, where Then and another Paterson police officer responded to a call from an attempted suicide victim at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson.

According to the complaint, the hospital surveillance footage shows the victim, while in a wheelchair, appearing to throw an object down the hall. The footage then shows Police Officer 1 pushing the wheelchair and punching the victim in the face. As the victim falls, Then grabs him by the back of the neck and pushes him to the ground.

The complaint also alleges that Then recorded the assault on his cellphone and that the police report filed by Then and Police Officer 1 did not mention the punching and grabbing incidents.

The victim suffered multiple injuries to his face, including an eye injury that required surgery. The conspiracy to violate civil rights count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, while the misprision of felony count carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison. Both counts are also punishable by a fine of up to $250,000.

The investigation was led by special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark. The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, Paterson Police Department, and Paterson Police Department Office of Internal Affairs also assisted in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division.

The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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