Former NJ sheriff’s officer faces federal bank fraud charges

A former Essex County Sheriff’s Officer has been accused in a bank fraud scheme, for which his alleged co-conspirator is now facing federal charges.

Federal charges were filed against Ryan Terry, also a former Orange police officer, in late April.

At the same time, he was additionally charged with terroristic threats at the state level.

His case has been postponed to late August and has not been presented to a grand jury.

Now, an East Orange man has similarly been charged with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Isiah Jordan and Terry have been accused of stealing at least two large checks from the mail, and then using a ring of accomplices to deposit the stolen funds into existing bank accounts.

Read More: NJ volunteer charged with stealing from local nonprofit

First stolen check in July 2023

Around July 28, 2023, State Police received a report that a check in the amount of $50,336.08 was never received by the intended payee.

Instead, records from a bank branch in Rutherford show that on or about July 12, 2023, Jordan was seen on an ATM surveillance camera depositing the stolen check into another person’s account.

Nine days later, Jordan and accomplices then carried out a flurry of transactions to drain the stolen cash. The first was a large, $25,000 withdrawal at a bank branch in Jersey City.

Then, there were in-person withdrawals at ATM machines for amounts between $1,000 and $8,900.

Read More: Find cash hidden in New Jersey using these social media accounts

Jordan allegedly purchased a money order at a post office for another $2,500, while a second money order was purchased for nearly the same amount.

Of the first stolen check, $5,000 was allegedly sent to Terry’s bank account through the digital payment app, Zelle, which was also used to send Jordan another $2,000.

Evidence cited by federal prosecutors includes various text messages between Terry, Jordan and several accomplices, with bank information and other details before and after the checks were stolen and deposited.

The texts included repeated instructions to delete the messages being sent.

Another $20K check is stolen

Later in July 2023, the same company mailed a second check in the amount of $20,336.08 that was not received or deposited by the intended payee.

Bank records showed that the check was deposited into another account in the name of the same person who helped deposit the first stolen check.

The bank did wind up reversing the second check’s transaction before the stolen funds could be taken out.

Ex-officer allegedly tried to recruit for the scheme

Terry allegedly repeatedly tried to get one accomplice to recruit other individuals to help steal checks and drain the funds before being found out, including an individual's nail technician, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of New Jersey.

Terry, a Piscataway resident, was released on $100,000 bond. He agreed to travel restrictions and to surrender his passport and all firearms.

Charges against Jordan were announced on Wednesday. He has also been released on $100,000 bond.

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