The acting attorney general has
announced charges against
a Trenton police officer, alleging he falsified his job
application to conceal his connections to a street gang called the Latin Kings and conspired to
help an inmate plan a retaliatory assault.
According to
authorities, Rudy Lopez, 36,
of Hamilton, is charged with official misconduct, conspiracy and tampering with
public records.
Authorities say Lopez fraudulently denied on his job application that he
was associating with gang members, all while regularly communicating with an
imprisoned member of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation.
Lopez and
the individual discussed an assault as retribution against a suspected
cooperating witness, who the pair believed had provided information used to put
Lopez’s alleged co-conspirator behind bars.
Investigators
say Lopez also offered to track down the intended target’s location and relayed
the information to the inmate, with whom the officer was allegedly colluding.
Lopez is currently suspended with pay. He’s been a Trenton police officer since September 2020.