Former Essex County Sheriff’s Officer Pleads Guilty in Bank Fraud Conspiracy

Federal prosecutors say Ryan L. Terry helped steal and launder checks while serving as a police officer in Orange, New Jersey

A former Essex County Sheriff’s Officer and current Orange Police Department officer has admitted to participating in a bank fraud scheme that involved the theft and cashing of stolen checks, federal prosecutors announced.

Ryan L. Terry, 32, of Piscataway, pleaded guilty on September 11, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of bank fraud, both of which carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2026.

According to court documents and statements made during the plea hearing, Terry was actively serving as a police officer in Orange when he took part in the conspiracy. The fraudulent operation involved stealing checks from the mail, altering the payee information, and depositing the checks into accounts controlled by members of the scheme. The funds were then withdrawn before the bank or the check’s original issuer became aware of the theft.

Federal authorities cited a specific incident in June 2023, in which a business check for over $50,000 sent by a company (identified as “Company-1”) was stolen, altered, and deposited into an account controlled by Terry and others. By July 2023, after the check cleared, Terry and his co-conspirators withdrew and split the proceeds.

Terry also recruited others into the scheme, targeting individuals with long-standing bank accounts to deposit additional stolen checks and withdraw the money before detection. The scheme exploited delays in check verification to access the funds.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, and the New Jersey State Police, under Colonel Patrick J. Callahan.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey S. Smith of the Criminal Division and Thomas S. Kearney of the Special Prosecutions Division, both based in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.