| On November 28, 2007, police officers in Camden, New Jersey, arrested 41-year-old Juan Troche and charged him with two counts of possession of a controlled substance.
Troche pled guilty to the charges in Camden County Superior Court on January 23, 2009 and was later sentenced to five years in prison.
In March 19, 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice began bringing indictments against five Camden officers, charging them with a wide range of crimes and civil-rights violations, including planting evidence, falsification of reports, perjury and theft.
The indictments followed an investigation by the FBI into the department after the Camden County Office of the Public Defender asked the Camden police department’s Internal Affairs unit to examine complaints about officer misconduct more vigorously. In later litigation, plaintiffs alleged that the officers’ actions went undetected because of a breakdown in internal affairs, which was understaffed and used antiquated systems.
Three of the officers – Parry, Stetser, and their supervisor, Dan Morris – pled guilty. The other two –Figueroa and Robert Bayard – went to trial. Figueroa was convicted; Bayard was acquitted.
Even before the first indictment against the officers, the Camden County Prosecutor had begun filing motions to vacate convictions and dismiss charges against defendants whose convictions were tainted by the apparent misconduct. Rather than waiting for individuals to come forward, the prosecutor’s office audited cases and then dismissed those that relied on the testimony or reports of the officers. As word of the dismissals spread, other potential victims of the officers’ misconduct came forward.
Ultimately, judges threw out convictions and granted dismissals for more than 50 defendants. A judge vacated Troche’s conviction and dismissed his indictment on March 26, 2010, and he was released from prison on April 8, 2010.
Following the indictments, defendants began filing lawsuits against the city and the officers for violations of their civil rights. The lead lawsuit was filed on July 29, 2010 by the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Joel Barnes. It was eventually joined with lawsuits filed in state and federal court by Troche and 86 other persons, including several who were never convicted and had their charges dismissed after the misconduct by the officers was brought to light.
Troche said in his lawsuit that Stetser, Parry, Morris, and Officer John Galiazzi took part in his arrest, which took place in an alleyway. He said that Morris hit him in the back of the head with a gun and then threatened him by asking Troche, “Are you ready to die tonight?” Later, Troche said, the officers planted 19 bags of cocaine on him. Troche said that Galiazzi testified falsely about the arrest before a grand jury.
The lawsuits were settled on January 10, 2013, with the defendants sharing $3.5 million. Separately, 16 defendants also received compensation totaling $649,000 from the State of New Jersey for their wrongful convictions. Troche also filed for state compensation for his wrongful conviction, receiving $37,017.
– Ken Otterbourg
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