NEWARK, N.J. (WCBS 880) -- An ex-Newark police officer will spend nearly four years in prison for accepting money from a brothel owner in exchange for protecting them from police action, according to officials.
Julio Rivera, 52, of Old Bridge, pleaded guilty previously to an indictment that charged him with bribery and aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false 2015 person federal tax return. He was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to spend 46 months in prison.
According to court docs, from mid-2014 through mid-2015, Rivera accepted the payments from the unnamed brother owner, who owned locations on Lafayette and Emmet streets in Newark.
Officials said Rivera declined to arrest people who committed and promoted prostitution as part of an agreement, while also agreeing to take "adverse" action against a competing brothel.
Rivera took in as much as $95,000 in bribes, officials said.
Rivera also intentionally withheld information from the person doing his taxes regarding the bribes, which meant his tax returns understated the amount of income he received
In addition to the prison time, Rivera will have three years of supervised release, perform 1,000 hours of community service, and provide over $17,000 of restitution and forfeit almost $80,000.
