NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A former police officer and his accomplice have been indicted for an alleged bribery scheme in which he exchanged information for monetary payments, authorities announced Tuesday.
Richard Arce, 54, of Yonkers, was arraigned a 114-count indictment charging him with bribe receiving, conspiracy, unauthorized use of a computer, and official misconduct. He was arrested last week by U.S. Marshals in the Dominican Republic.
Raymond Ramos, 42, of the Bronx, was arraigned in January 2025 on bribery, rewarding official misconduct, and conspiracy.
Arce was an NYPD officer from 2008 until he retired in 2023 and served in the Transit Bureau in the Bronx. In February 2022, he was assigned to the Brooklyn Criminal Court section at 120 Schermerhorn St., officials said.
From approximately March 2021 through February 2023, Arce allegedly ran unauthorized searches for proprietary law enforcement information at the request of Ramos in exchange for promises of typically $40 to $50 per search.
An investigation revealed over 70 unauthorized searches for individuals including Ramos, Alexander Torres and Jesus Cedeno – who are defendants in an ATM burglary ring case, as well as other associates of Ramos, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
The searches were for arrest warrants, police reports and for license plates associated with vehicles owned or operated by Ramos.
He allegedly ran these searches despite directives from the NYPD Patrol Guide, which requires NYPD officers to make inquiries which relate to official business only, and to only divulge information obtained from the system for valid law enforcement purposes.
Arce allegedly used his NYPD issued cell phone to transmit the information via text messages, officials said.
On Oct. 23, 2022, Arce, while assigned to Criminal Court, texted Ramos two screenshots, one showing that Ramos had an active bench warrant from the Bronx, authorities said.
The next day, Arce texted, “Don’t forget the $25 cuz.” On November 11, 2022, Arce provided Ramos information indicating that he is a suspect in a commercial burglary in Manhattan, which included the name and contact information of the complainant.
On Nov. 1, 2022, Arce sent screenshots pertaining to Alexander Torres, which indicated he had two suspect warrants. The next day, Ramos asked for information about Jesus Cedeno, to which Arce replied, "Nope. No $. No Honey," prosecutors said.
Torres and Cedeno were later indicted for participating in numerous burglaries of ATM machines and have since pleaded guilty.
Arce and Ramos are set to return to court on May 7.
"This defendant allegedly betrayed his badge when he provided confidential information to people accused of crimes. This was a shocking abuse of the trust he was granted and an example of corruption that could have led to serious public safety consequences," District Attorney Gonzalez said. "We have now indicted him and his alleged bribery partner and will work to hold them responsible."