Five officers from the Morris County Sheriff’s Office — four who worked at the county jail, and one at the county courthouse–pleaded guilty on Wednesday to drug-related offenses.
They were busted by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office after an investigation prompted by a tipster to the sheriff’s CrimeStoppers program.
The officers must surrender their badges and any right to future public employment. Their plea deals also call for probation and mandatory drug treatment.
“All law enforcement officers must be held to a high standard of conduct. The illicit drug use of these individuals must be dealt with swiftly and effectively,” said Prosecutor Fredric Knapp, praising Sheriff James Gannon for his “unswerving cooperation.”
“One of the silver linings to this sad episode, frankly, is how effectively the Crime Stoppers reporting system works,” Gannon said in a statement. “It proves that nobody – even Corrections and Sheriff’s Officers – are above the law.
“I trust that the people of Morris County won’t allow the criminal actions of a few bad apples to cast a shadow over the other 322 honest, moral, and hardworking staff at the Sheriff’s Office. I am proud of my team and we are stronger today for rooting out and removing those who would bring dishonor to our organization and our county,” the sheriff said.
Pleading guilty in a virtual hearing before Superior Court Judge Stephen Taylor were:
Sgt. Dominick Andico, age 33. Hired 2009, salary $112,156. He was a housing unit sergeant at the jail.
- One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine
- One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine
- Once Count of Disorderly Person Obstructing the Administration of Law or Other Governmental Function
Albert Wyman IV, age 36. Hired 2008, salary $72,055. He worked in the jail records unit.
- One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine
- Once Count of Disorderly Person Obstructing the Administration of Law or Other Governmental Function
Robert Busold, age 27. Hired 2017, salary $56,613. He worked in a housing unit at the jail.
- One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine
- One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine
Brian T. Rzucidlo, age 35. Hired 2009, salary $68,194. He worked in the jail’s policy unit.
One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine
Nicholas Ricciotti, age 31. Hired as a corrections officer in 2014, moved to courthouse security (protective services) in 2016. Salary $58,318.
One Count of Third Degree Conspiracy to Possess Oxycodone (prescription medication)
Andico, Wyman, Busold and Rzucidlo were employed by the sheriff’s office as correction officers at the jail in Morris Township. Ricciotti, a former county correction officer, was a sheriff’s officer assigned to the Bureau of Law Enforcement, providing security at the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown.
Investigators said the corrections officers were engaged in an ongoing conspiracy to . Hpurchase cocaine for their personal use. Two of them also were part of “an ongoing conspiracy to distribute cocaine to their fellow officers,” according to the prosecutor.
Ricciotti was scheming to purchase oxycodone prescription pills for his personal use. Two of the officers also were charged with obstructing the administration of law or other governmental function for using a county law enforcement database for their drug conspiracy, the prosecutor said.
“There has been no evidence of distribution other than for their personal use amongst each other,” Knapp said.
The investigation involved the prosecutor’s Special Enforcement- (Narcotics Task Force), Professional Standards-, Intelligence- and High-Tech Crimes units; the sheriff’s Internal Affairs Unit, and Mt. Arlington police, Knapp said.
