Ex-NYPD Cop From Hudson Valley Pleads Guilty To Bribery, Narcotics, Firearm-Related Offenses: Feds

HARRIMAN, NY — An ex-cop from Orange County accused of taking bribes and colluding with drug traffickers pleaded guilty Thursday.

Andrew Nguyen, a former officer with the New York City Police Department, entered the plea to conspiring to solicit and receive bribes, conspiring to distribute narcotics, and possessing a firearm in connection with the conspiracy to distribute narcotics.

Nguyen, 41, of Harriman, is scheduled to be sentenced June 22.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, guidelines call for Nguyen to be sentenced to between 147 and 168 months in prison, and to be fined between $30,000 and $300,000, court documents show.

Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Nguyen “betrayed the community he swore to protect.”

“In exchange for bribes, Nguyen used his power as a police officer to distribute deadly drugs in New York City,” Clayton said. “New Yorkers have the most effective and most respected police department in the world because the NYPD and the people of New York will not tolerate bad cops.”

According to prosecutors, between 2020 and 2023, Nguyen used his position to solicit and accept tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments in exchange for helping another individual, identified in court documents as “CC-1,” with the operation of CC-1’s drug trafficking enterprise. Prosecutors said Nguyen accepted more than $30,000 in bribes from CC-1.

Prosecutors said Nguyen transported drugs, including approximately eight kilograms of cocaine, for CC-1 while Nguyen was armed with a firearm, including his NYPD-authorized off-duty firearm. According to prosecutors, Nguyen planned to use it to protect CC-1 if violence occurred.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, while transporting drugs, Nguyen carried his NYPD credentials and parking placard, which he planned to use to evade arrest if pulled over by other cops.

Read more:
Former NYPD Cop From Hudson Valley Faces Federal Bribery, Narcotics, Firearms And Robbery Charges