A former New York Police Department officer has pleaded guilty to official misconduct after prosecutors said he sent inappropriate messages to women whose cases he was investigating and engaged in a sexual relationship with a woman shortly after arresting her.
Matthew Lambert, 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Manhattan Criminal Court to three counts of official misconduct and one count of receiving unlawful gratuities, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced. Lambert, who joined the NYPD in 2014 and was assigned to the 13th Precinct Detective Squad in 2022, resigned from the department in December 2025.
"The defendant's disturbing conduct is unacceptable for a member of law enforcement," Bragg said in a statement. "In addition to sending extremely inappropriate messages to victims while he was investigating their cases, he abused his power to engage in a sexual encounter with a woman he had arrested just hours earlier."
‘Abuse of power’
According to prosecutors, Lambert's misconduct occurred over several months in 2024 while he was investigating criminal complaints in Manhattan. The most serious allegations stemmed from a May 2024 arrest of a woman accused of petit larceny.
While processing the arrest, Lambert told the woman he could likely issue her a desk appearance ticket rather than send her to Central Booking to await arraignment, according to court records. Prosecutors said he also showed the woman a nude photograph of himself while she was in custody.
Lambert later issued the desk appearance ticket and, while escorting her out of the precinct, told her, "I told you I was going to get you out," according to prosecutors.
Later that day, Lambert began texting the woman and asked whether she wanted him to visit her. Court records state that he subsequently drove to her residence, where the two had sex in his car. Afterward, prosecutors said Lambert sent messages thanking her for spending time with him.
“The NYPD referred the case to the DA's office after an internal investigation. The officer resigned in December of 2025,” an NYPD spokesperson said in a statement.
Pattern of misconduct
In another case, Lambert was assigned to investigate a missing package reported by a woman. Prosecutors said he repeatedly used his department-issued phone to send personal and flirtatious messages to the complainant, including comments about her appearance and requests to meet for drinks after the case ended. He also acknowledged in messages that he was concerned she might feel obligated because he was handling her case. The woman eventually blocked his number.
That same month, prosecutors said Lambert sent inappropriate messages to a woman who was the victim of an assault he was investigating. Among the messages, he complimented her appearance and told her he had been surprised by how attractive she was when they met.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Lambert acknowledged that his resignation bars him from seeking certification as a police officer anywhere in New York State. He was sentenced to two years of probation, 100 hours of community service and counseling.
"This is not how anyone should be treated — whether a victim, witness, or person accused of a crime," Bragg said. "This behavior significantly damages faith in the criminal justice system and discourages people from coming forward to report crimes, which harms public safety."
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