A former Manhattan police officer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to using his position of authority to take advantage of women sexually, including a woman he had previously arrested.
Matthew Lambert, 33, was walked through the halls of Manhattan court on June 10 in handcuffs. The disgraced former NYPD officer had his face hidden under a hood and face mask before he faced a judge.
According to court documents, Lambert’s misconduct began in March of 2024 when he was assigned to investigate a missing package out of the 13th Precinct. Over several months, the former cop admitted to using his department-issued cellphone to harass the woman who reported her package missing with sexually charged text messages.
“Not to be inappropriate, but do people tell you that you look way younger than you are?” he wrote in one message. He would later admit to sending other messages, including “Celebration drinks when this is over?” and “If you say no, I’m still gonna work hard on your case. I promise.”
“I was just nervous to ask you out because of the circumstances lol. Like me being in charge of your case. I was like I hope she doesn’t feel obligated at all,” he wrote in another.
Prosecutors said the woman eventually blocked Lambert’s number. But things didn’t end there.
That same month, prosecutors said, Lambert began harassing another woman who had been the victim of an assault.
“You are absolutely beautiful. I was shocked when I met you. I mean no disrespect to you and your relationship. I’m saying this in a respectful way. If that’s even possible,” he wrote.
The trend grew more disturbing in May of that year when he arrested a woman for petit larceny and offered to use his influence as a cop to have her released.
Court documents show that Lambert told her he could “probably” issue her a desk appearance ticket and release her from custody, rather than transfer her to Central Booking for arraignment. He then also showed her a photograph of his penis.
Staying true to his word, he issued her a desk appearance ticket and, as they walked out of the station house, said: “I told you I was going to get you out.” Later that day, he texted her: “If you want I could come say hello. Up to you. You tell me if you want me to.”
Prosecutors said he later drove to her home, and they had sex in his vehicle. Afterward, he sent additional texts, including “You’re so cool,” and “Thanks for hanging out.”
Lambert resigned in December of 2025. He had been with the department since 2014.
“The defendant’s disturbing conduct is unacceptable for a member of law enforcement,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “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. This is not how anyone should be treated – whether a victim, witness, or person accused of a crime. This behavior significantly damages faith in the criminal justice system and discourages people from coming forward to report crimes, which harms public safety.”
He was charged with official misconduct and receiving unlawful gratuities. After pleading guilty Wednesday, Lambert was sentenced to two years of probation, is required to undergo one-on-one counseling and perform 100 hours of community service.
Lambert is also forbidden from seeking reemployment as a police officer. He could face prison time if he fails to comply with the terms of his plea deal.
