CAMDEN — A former Camden cop was sentenced Thursday to 46
months in prison for conspiring with fellow officers to deprive others of their
civil rights, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Jason Stetser, 34, of Waterford Township, previously pleaded
guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden federal court. He
admitted he conspired with Antonio Figaro, 36, of Camden; Dan Morris, 49, of
Mount Laurel; and Kevin Parry, 32, of Brooklawn, to deprive others of their due
process rights and their right to be free from unreasonable searches and
seizures.
According to documents filed in this case and statements
made in court:
From May 2007 to October 2009, while on duty as a uniformed cop
with the Camden Police Department, Stetser engaged in a conspiracy with other
Camden cops to deprive individuals of their due process rights by charging them
with planted evidence; threatening certain individuals with arrest using
planted evidence if they did not cooperate with law enforcement; conducting
illegal searches without a search warrant or consent; stealing money during
illegal searches and arrests; paying for cooperation and information with
illegal drugs; failing to report found drugs and stashing them to use as
planted evidence; and preparing false police reports or testifying falsely in court
to conceal his actions.
“The punishment handed down today is a just response to
Jason Stetser’s betrayal of his oath of office,” Fishman said. “He also
betrayed the trust of those whose rights he violated, the public he was sworn
to protect, and all of the honest cops who risk everything to keep us safe.”
In addition to the prison term, Kugler sentenced Stetser to
two years of supervised release.
Morris previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deprive
others of civil rights and was sentenced Dec. 11, 2012, to eight months in
prison. Parry was sentenced Oct. 10, 2012, to 20 months in prison. Figaro was
convicted following a three-and-a-half week trial and was sentenced on Sept. 7,
2012, to 120 months in prison.