Criminal charges have been filed against two individuals from Bloomsbury, New Jersey, for allegedly making false reports that members of the New Jersey State Police sexually assaulted one of them while on duty. The announcement was made by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).
Randal Kelco, 35, and Lisa DeStefano, 45, are charged with making false reports to law enforcement, a second-degree offense. Authorities allege that Kelco and DeStefano reported to hospital staff and officers from two law enforcement agencies that Kelco had been sexually assaulted by multiple state troopers.
An investigation conducted by the OPIA Corruption Bureau and the New Jersey State Police Office of Professional Standards found no evidence supporting their claims. According to officials, body-worn camera footage from the troopers as well as video from Kelco’s cellphone showed no signs of misconduct during their interaction with Kelco and DeStefano.
“In this case, OPIA followed the evidence, including the body-worn camera video of the officers, which allegedly shows this was a malicious, self-serving hoax by the defendants,” said Attorney General Platkin.
“This case clearly demonstrates how important body-worn camera video evidence can be to understanding events and fact-checking witness statements,” said Eric L. Gibson, Executive Director of OPIA. “In this instance, those recordings provided exculpatory evidence showing these troopers were facing false, inflammatory allegations of criminal conduct.”
On October 23, 2023 at about 4:00 a.m., three state police troopers responded to a domestic dispute at Kelco and DeStefano’s shared residence in Bloomsbury. Body-worn cameras recorded their interactions for approximately 40 minutes before they transported Kelco to a hotel without further incident.
The following day after midnight, both individuals visited Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where they repeated allegations against the troopers to medical staff. They later reiterated these claims to New Brunswick police officers and filed an official complaint with NJSP’s Office of Professional Standards.
Further investigation revealed discrepancies between their accounts and available video footage. Authorities stated that neither state police nor personal cellphone recordings supported any allegation of sexual assault or other misconduct.
Second-degree charges such as these may result in five to ten years in prison and fines up to $150,000 if convicted.
Deputy Attorney General Michael Angermeier is prosecuting the case under supervision within OPIA’s Corruption Bureau leadership team. Officials noted that criminal charges are accusations only; both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.