Convicted Paterson police sergeant Michael Cheff seeks reduced federal prison sentence

Joe Malinconico
·2 min read
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PATERSON — Former police Sgt. Michael Cheff is trying to get his prison time reduced based on a change in federal sentencing guidelines for offenders who have no prior convictions.

Cheff in May 2022 was convicted of conspiracy and filing false police reports for his role as the sergeant who supervised the notorious “robbery squad” of thug cops. He started serving his sentence in January 2023 and is eligible for release on Dec. 23, 2024, prison records show.

The federal courts last week received Cheff’s motion requesting that his prison stay be reduced by an unspecified amount of time because of the changed sentencing guidelines, which apply retroactively to people already convicted when the new regulations took effect last year.

Paterson Police Sgt. Michael Cheff (right), is shown seconds after walking out of federal court, in Newark. Cheff was there after being arrested by the FBI Tuesday morning. Cheff is the eighth member of the Paterson Police Department to get arrested in a corruption probe which started more than three years ago. Cheff is currently suspended without pay. Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Cheff, who is being held at a federal prison in Glenville, West Virginia, filed the motion himself and asked for a court-appointed lawyer to represent him in the proceedings. Even with a reduced sentence, Cheff would end up being the last of the eight officers convicted in the FBI probe of the Paterson Police Department to get out of prison.

Paterson's 'robbery squad': FBI investigation leads to convictions, federal prison terms

From November 2023: Federal courts reject Paterson 'robbery squad' police Sgt. Michael Cheff's appeal

What is happening with the other members of the 'robbery squad'?

Only Cheff and Eudy Ramos remain incarcerated. Ramos’ release is scheduled for March 5, federal prison records show.

Here’s information on the others:

  • Matthew Torres, who was part of the robbery squad, was given probation instead of prison time.

  • Roger Then, who was convicted as an accomplice in a hospital beating of a suicide patient, was released after six months, in January 2020.

  • Ruben McAusland, who sold drugs while on duty from his marked Paterson patrol vehicle, was released in March 2023 after spending almost four years in prison. McAusland also was convicted of assaulting the suicide patient, who eventually ended up killing himself.

  • Robbery squad member Daniel Pent was released in September 2023 after less than a year incarcerated.

  • Jonathan Bustios, also part of the robbery squad, was released on Jan. 3 after being in prison a little more than a year.

  • Frank Toledo, the robbery squad member who sent the infamous text message saying, “Everything we do is illegal,” was released on Monday after serving a little more than a year.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ police sergeant seeks reduced federal prison sentence