Former New York Police Department (NYPD) officer Andrew Nguyen was sentenced to 7.5 years in federal prison for taking bribes, helping to operate a narcotics trafficking group, and using an off-duty firearm while transporting drugs, the U.S. Department of Justice in New York announced June 22.
Nguyen, 41, of Harriman, New York, pleaded guilty to the charges on Jan. 29. In addition to the prison term, he was sentenced to three years of supervised release.
The former officer was accused of using his position with the NYPD to solicit and accept tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for helping another person operate a drug trafficking ring, according to federal prosecutors.
“Andrew Nguyen repeatedly abused his position of public trust by soliciting and accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton.
Prosecutors claimed the former police officer helped a drug trafficking organization by transporting kilograms of dangerous drugs, providing armed protection, and using an NYPD police car and equipment to conduct and document a fake car stop and seizure.
“In short, Nguyen endangered the very community that he swore an oath to protect,” Clayton said. “The greatest police department in the world does not accept corruption in its ranks, and this office was proud to partner with them to root it out.”
According to the plea agreement and court documents, prosecutors claim Nguyen spent three years—2020 to 2023—perpetrating his crimes.
Nguyen was accused of transporting the drugs, including about eight kilograms of cocaine, for one of the drug kingpins while he was armed with a gun.
While transporting the drugs, Nguyen also allegedly carried his NYPD credentials and an NYPD parking placard, which prosecutors say he planned to use to evade arrest in case he was pulled over by other NYPD officers.
Overall, Nguyen allegedly accepted more than $30,000 in bribe payments from one of the drug runners and solicited tens of thousands of dollars in other bribes for participating in the enterprise.
The drug-related charges were the latest legal trouble for Nguyen, who was fired from the department in December 2023 after stealing property from the department’s evidence room.
A disciplinary report on Nguyen issued by the NYPD in December 2023 found him engaged in prohibited conduct two times in March of that year while on duty assigned to a transit district.
NYPD officers on Times Square in New York on May 9, 2021. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
The first offense charged Nguyen for allegedly removing a pair of children’s Nike sneakers that didn’t belong to him from a property room. The second offense charged him for allegedly being in possession of two pairs of stolen sneakers.
Then-Police Commissioner Edward Caban directed that Nguyen be immediately dismissed from the department.
Nguyen’s attorney argued for a mitigated penalty of 30 days of vacation pay and one-year probation, or forced separation instead of termination, saying his client was having financial and personal hardship at the time of the incident.
Nguyen became an officer in 2008. He was awarded a medal for meritorious police duty and three medals for excellent police duty during his service, according to the department.
In 2017, he forfeited five vacation days after he was found guilty of wrongfully using force when he slapped a youth in the face with an open hand after the youth had committed fare evasion, according to a disciplinary report.
