New York police officer gets probation for having sex with woman he arrested; avoids prison

A former New York City police detective who admitted to having sex with a woman shortly after arresting her will avoid prison time.Matthew Lambert pleaded guilty on Wednesday to three counts of official misconduct and one count of receiving unlawful gratuities. Instead of a prison sentence, Lambert was handed two years of probation, ordered to undergo counselling, and given 100 hours of community service.The sentence follows a string of incidents involving the abuse of his position to target women connected to his investigations. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Lambert resigned from the force last year and is permanently barred from working as a police officer in New York state again.Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg condemned the actions in a public statement, saying, “The defendant’s disturbing conduct is unacceptable for a member of law enforcement.”The most severe details in the prosecution’s case stem from an incident in May 2024. Lambert had arrested a woman on a charge of petit larceny, which is the theft of low-value property. Lambert offered the woman a deal: he would release her with a desk appearance ticket rather than putting her through the standard process of central booking. Before leaving the station, he showed the woman a photograph of his penis, issued the appearance ticket, and walked out of the building alongside her.Shortly afterwards, Lambert sent a text message to the woman asking if he could come over to her home. He then drove to her residence, where the two engaged in sexual intercourse inside his car. Following the encounter, Lambert sent her a text reading, “You’re so cool,” and thanked her for “hanging out.”The investigation into Lambert revealed a pattern of behaviour that extended to women who had reported crimes.In March 2024, while investigating a missing package case, Lambert used his official police phone to send personal messages to the woman who reported it. He asked if people told her she looked younger than her age, suggested meeting for drinks after the case ended, and said he was “nervous” to ask her out. The woman later blocked his number.That very same month, Lambert was assigned to an assault case. He used the opportunity to text the victim of the assault, sending messages that included calling her “absolutely beautiful.”Lambert first joined the New York City Police Department in 2014 and was promoted to the rank of detective in 2022. He resigned from his post in 2025 as the investigation into his official misconduct progressed.