A retired NYPD cop took bribes to search police databases when he was on the force, feeding his criminal cousin info to help members of a burglary ring, prosecutors said Monday.
Richard Arce, 54 sold his police shield for cheap, typically taking $40 to $50 for each search, according to Brooklyn prosecutors.
He fed his cousin arrest warrant info and police reports, and ran license plates, conducting more than 70 searches from 2021 to 2023, often texting his cousin while on the job assigned to Brooklyn Criminal Court on Schermerhorn St., prosecutors said.
On Monday, Arce was hit with a 114-count indictment in Brooklyn Supreme Court charging him with bribe receiving, conspiracy, unauthorized use of a computer, and official misconduct. His cousin, Raymond Ramos, 42, of the Bronx, was charged in January.
“This defendant allegedly betrayed his badge when he provided confidential information to people accused of crimes,” Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez said Monday. “This was a shocking abuse of the trust he was granted and an example of corruption that could have led to serious public safety consequences.”
Arce, who’s lived in the Dominican Republic since his retirement in 2023, was arrested by local authorities in the country in January after he tried to renew his passport. He appeared in Brooklyn Supreme Court Monday.
Arce, who joined the NYPD in 2008, conducted the searches for Ramos, as well as for Alexander “Chaco” Torres and Jesus “Capone” Cedeno — who were charged in March 2023 with conspiring to break into stores and steal ATMs.
atm
Obtained by Daily News A smash-and-grab burglary crew plundered 19 shops in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx over seven months, using a police scanner, getaway van and boltcutters to force their way into borough bodegas to nick ATMs and cash registers, police and prosecutors said.
Starting in March 2021, Arce accessed the NYPD’s “Domain Awareness System” looking for information at Ramos’ request, prosecutors allege. He looked for “i-cards” that would show whether Ramos and his pals were wanted for questioning, and looked for active warrants, according to the indictment.
And he made sure he got paid, prosecutors allege.
On Oct. 23, 2022, he sent Ramos two screenshots while on duty, one of which showed Ramos had an active bench warrant from the Bronx, according to the indictment. The next day, he followed up with another text, “Don’t forget the $25 cuz.”
And on Nov. 1, 2022, he sent along information showing Torres had two warrants out on him, and when Ramos asked him a day later to search Cedeno, the cop replied. “Nope. No $. No Honey. So far I’ve received $0.”
After Ramos promised to pay, Arce texted, “If Cedeno pays I’ll check. No freebies, according to the indictment.”
Torres and Cedeno have since pleaded guilty in the ATM burglary case and are awaiting sentencing.
Arce was arraigned before Judge Archana Rao Monday, pleaded not guilty and was released without bail. He and Ramos will appear together before Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Danny Chun on May 7.
Neither he nor his defense lawyer, Peter Guadagnino, commented as they left the courtroom.
