Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez speaks to the media on Jan. 18, 2024. Photo: Jennifer Peltz/AP
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that a former police officer and his presumed accomplice have been indicted over a bribery scheme in which the officer allegedly conducted unauthorized searches while assigned to Brooklyn Criminal Court. The information, which included confidential reports and warrants, was exchanged for promised monetary payments.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant allegedly betrayed his badge when he provided confidential information to people accused of crimes. 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. We have now indicted him and his alleged bribery partner and will work to hold them responsible.”
The District Attorney identified the defendants as Richard Arce, 54, of Yonkers, NY, and Raymond Ramos, 42, of the Bronx. Arce was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on a 114-count indictment charging him with third-degree bribe receiving, fifth- and sixth-degree conspiracy, unauthorized use of a computer and official misconduct. He was arrested last week by U.S. Marshals in the Dominican Republic. Ramos was arraigned in January 2025 on third-degree bribery, second-degree rewarding official misconduct and fifth-degree conspiracy. Arce was released without bail, and both defendants were ordered to return to court on May 7, 2025.
The District Attorney said that Arce was an NYPD officer from 2008 until he retired in 2023. He served in the Transit Bureau in the Bronx, and in February 2022, he was assigned to the Brooklyn Criminal Court section at 120 Schermerhorn Street. From approximately March 2021 through February 2023, Arce is said to have run unauthorized searches for proprietary law enforcement information at the request of Ramos in exchange for promises of typically $40 to $50 per search.
The investigation revealed over 70 unauthorized searches for individuals, including Ramos, Alexander Torres and Jesus Cedeno, who are defendants in an ATM burglary ring case, as well as other associates of Ramos. The searches were for arrest warrants, police reports and license plates associated with vehicles owned or operated by Ramos. He allegedly ran these searches despite directives from the NYPD Patrol Guide, which requires NYPD officers to make inquiries related to official business and only divulge information obtained from the system for valid law enforcement purposes. Authorities say Arce used his NYPD-issued cell phone to transmit the information via text messages.
For instance, the evidence shows that on Oct. 23, 2022, Arce, while assigned to Criminal Court, texted Ramos two screenshots, one showing that Ramos had an active bench warrant from the Bronx. The next day, Arce texted, “Don’t forget the $25 cuz.” On Nov. 11, 2022, Arce provided Ramos information indicating that he was a suspect in a commercial burglary in Manhattan, which included the name and contact information of the complainant.
The evidence further shows that on Nov. 1, 2022, Arce sent screenshots pertaining to Alexander Torres, which indicated he had two suspect warrants. The next day, Ramos asked for information about Jesus Cedeno, to which Arce replied, “Nope. No $. No honey.” Torres and Cedeno were later indicted for participating in numerous burglaries of ATM machines. They have since pleaded guilty.
The case was investigated by detectives assigned to the New York City Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau.
The District Attorney thanked the KCDA Detective Investigators for their assistance in this case.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Nicole Lauterbach and Corey Hardin of the District Attorney’s Frauds Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney and Bureau Chief Gregory Pavlides, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney’s Investigations Division and Assistant District Attorney Michel Spanakos, and the overall supervision of Assistant District Attorney Patricia McNeill, Chief of the Investigations Division.
