A former NYPD officer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a number of crimes for having sex with a woman he arrested and for sending inappropriate text messages from his department-issued phone to women whose cases he was investigating.
The former officer, Matthew Lambert, will serve two years of probation, complete counseling and do 100 hours of community service as part of the plea deal, Judge Onya Brinson said at his plea hearing in Manhattan criminal court. Lambert pleaded guilty to three counts of official misconduct and one count of receiving unlawful gratuities.
Lambert, who appeared with his attorney, Jacob LaSala, also admitted that his resignation from the department was a “removal for cause” because of his criminal actions. LaSala did not immediately return a request for comment about the plea deal.
“This behavior significantly damages faith in the criminal justice system and discourages people from coming forward to report crimes, which harms public safety,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement after the plea.
Lambert, 33, started with the NYPD in 2014 and was assigned to the 13th Precinct in Gramercy Park in 2022, according to the district attorney’s office.
In March 2024, he was investigating a missing package, and throughout the case he repeatedly sent inappropriate messages to the woman who reported the crime, he admitted in court.
“Not to be inappropriate, but do people tell you that you look way younger than you are,” one of the messages said.
While investigating another case the same month, Lambert texted an assault victim: “You are absolutely beautiful. I was shocked when I met you. I mean no disrespect to you and your relationship. I’m saying this in a respectful way. If that’s even possible.”
Then, also in March 2024, Lambert arrested a woman for petit larceny and showed her a photo of his genitals before letting her go with a desk appearance ticket.
After she was released, Lambert texted her and eventually drove to her house and had sex with her in his car, according to the district attorney’s office.
The case was investigated by Assistant District Attorney Tavis DeAtley with supervision by the office’s Police Accountability Unit.
“This is not how anyone should be treated — whether a victim, witness, or person accused of a crime,” Bragg added in his statement after the plea.
