Crime, Regional Interest

Prosecutor: Ex-Cop Sentenced for Lying About Criminal Past in Seeking Police Employment

A former police officer has lost his job, been sentenced to probation and has been permanently banned from public office anywhere in NJ for lying about his criminal history and termination from a prior job in law enforcement while seeking and obtaining police employment in the state, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Thursday.

During a hearing held last Friday before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley, 39-year-old Briant K. Nixon, a former Neptune Township police officer, was ordered to serve two years of probation, having earlier relinquished his position as a police officer and permanently forfeited his right to public office anywhere in New Jersey.

Nixon was served the initial charges against him last August via summonses. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to fourth-degree false swearing and fourth-degree unsworn falsification to authorities.

“When a police officer violates their oath and intentionally lies, removal from office is a just result. I commend the investigation by our PRU, in collaboration with the Neptune Township Police Department, in upholding the integrity of sworn law enforcement to what it should be,” Prosecutor Santiago said. “This was not a simple omission; it was intentional deception and has no place with law enforcement professionals.”

The case background …

An investigation led by members of the MCPO Professional Responsibility Unit (PRU) revealed that Nixon had been employed as a police officer with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) from 2012 into 2017 when he was terminated for violating various departmental rules and regulations in connection with a 2015 arrest for domestic violence and for violating a restraining order.

During a June 2026 plea hearing, Nixon said that in May 2023, he filled out an application for employment with the Neptune Township Police Department in which he failed to disclose his prior DV arrest, that he had previously worked for the NYPD, or that he was terminated. He also acknowledged that he knowingly made a false statement under oath or equivalent affirmation in connection with the application.

Nixon also said during the hearing that he falsely denied having prior DV arrests while filling out his Police Training Commission (PTC) License Renewal Application in March of 2025.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office