Paterson cop Kevin Patino takes misdemeanor plea deal in two assaults
PATERSON — Police Officer Kevin Patino admitted in federal court on Thursday that he assaulted two Paterson men while on duty in separate incidents that happened about three weeks apart in late 2020.
Under Patino’s plea agreement, the 32-year-old was convicted of two deprivation of civil rights misdemeanors, which come with maximum one-year prison sentences.
Officials did not say during Patino’s hearing whether he would give up his police job as part of the plea, nor did they say whether he will testify against another Paterson cop, Kendry Tineo-Restituyo, who is facing charges in one of the assaults. Tineo plans to go to trial, said his lawyer, Pat Caserta.
What did Patino say?
Under questions from the United States Attorney’s Office, Patino admitted striking victim 1 — Rosdward Hernandez — on Main Street on Nov. 26, 2020. The cop said he pushed Hernandez into the street, threw the man to the ground and repeatedly struck him even though he posed no danger.
Thursday’s hearing was the first time authorities revealed that charges were filed against Patino in the Hernandez incident.
The other assault, involving victim Osamah Alsaidi, has been a high-profile police brutality case in Paterson for the past three years.
Patino on Thursday admitted striking Alsaidi in the face and body during his encounter with Alsaidi in South Paterson. He said the officer with him — whom he did not identify by name — then slammed Alsaidi to the ground.
Patino admitted he repeatedly struck Alsaidi while the teenager was on the ground.
Guilty plea anticipated: Paterson cop Kevin Patino ready to plead guilty in excessive force case
What comes next?
Federal District Judge Esther Salas scheduled Patino’s sentencing for July 23.
The incident involving Alsaidi came to light only after the Council on American-Islamic Relations began circulating video recordings of what happened to the 19-year-old two months afterward.
Alsaidi has said he reported the alleged attack to the Paterson Police Department's Internal Affairs division, which he said did nothing about his complaint.
On the same day in April 2021 when the FBI filed charges accusing the two cops of assault and filing false reports, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office announced that Paterson's IA operation would be overseen by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office. That intervention lasted about 17 months.
Patino and Tineo-Restituyo have been on paid administrative leave since May 2021. Payroll records show both officers' salaries are $61,185. The two cops continued to get contractual pay increases while on leave for the pending criminal charges. At the time they were first accused, their salaries were $49,117, city records show.
Alsaidi has a pending lawsuit against the city, Patino and Tineo-Restituyo stemming from the incident.
Patino and Tineo-Restituyo also are accused of using excessive force in civil cases involving two incidents in which they were not together.
Garfield resident Desyiah Leak has claimed Tineo-Restituyo punched her in the face during a traffic stop in Paterson on Dec. 6, 2020. Hernandez’s lawsuit accused Patino of beating him when he tried to intervene on behalf of an emotionally disturbed person on Main Street on Nov. 26, 2020.
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ police officer takes plea deal in assaults
