A veteran New Jersey police officer stands accused of selling stolen computer equipment.
Somerset County prosecutors say Vincent Saggese, a Metuchen resident who serves on the Plainfield Police Department, is charged with official misconduct and receiving stolen property. The arrest occurred Friday and was made public Monday.
Officials say the 32-year-old Saggese recently met twice with an undercover detective from the prosecutor's office and negotiated for the sale of stolen computer equipment that is used to mine for bit coins, a form of electronic currency.
Authorities say Saggese also accepted $250 from the detective and agreed to obtain the address of the owner of a license plate and provide a photo of that person. Such information is available to law enforcement officers through various computer platforms that can only be used for law enforcement purposes.
Authorities say they found a slip of paper in Saggese's shirt pocket that had the license plate number given to him by the detective. They also say they found the money the detective used to buy the computers and the $250 given to Saggese for the license plate lookup.
Saggese was released on his own recognizance. A telephone number for him could not be located Monday, and it wasn't known if he has retained an attorney.
Saggese has served on the Plainfield force for 10 years.
