NIAGARA FALLS POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED ON CIVIL RIGHTS CHARGES

United States Attorney Terrence P. Flynn, in conjunction with Niagara Falls Police Superintendent John R. Chella, Niagara County District Attorney Michael Violante, FBI Special Agent in Charge Laurie Bennett, BATF Resident Agent in Charge David DeJoe and acting DEA Resident Agent in Charge Brian Conneely announce that last night Niagara Falls Police Officer Ryan G. Warme, 27, of Niagara Falls was arrested, for violating the civil rights of two women, with cocaine trafficking, and with carrying a firearm in relation to one of the civil rights violations and the cocaine trafficking violation. This arrest was based on a complaint filed by an FBI agent. Magistrate Judge Hugh B. Scott issued a warrant for the arrest. The two civil rights charges each carry a possible death sentence or, alternatively, of up to life in federal prison, the first firearms charge carries a mandatory term of five years in prison, while the second carries a mandatory prison sentences of 25 years; the drug conspiracy charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Warme was arrested last night by NFPD officers and by agents from each of the federal agencies involved in the investigation and is being arraigned before Judge Scott this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony M. Bruce and Marie Grisanti, who are handling this case, will be asking Judge Scott to order Warme detained without bail, and stated that a hearing will be scheduled on the government’s detention request in the near future.

Superintendent Chella stated that the investigation was opened by the Niagara Falls Police Department’s Narcotics Division after the Department received complaints from several citizens about Warme’s conduct and that the U.S. Attorney’s Office was invited into the case when it appeared that the conduct under investigation might violate the federal civil rights statutes.

The complaint affidavit given to Judge Scott alleges that in October of 2006, and then again on or about September 24, 2007, while in uniform and on duty, Warme sexually attacked two women, raping the first and forcing the second to commit an act of oral sex on him. It also alleges that in the summer of 2007, Warme bought substantial quantities of cocaine from a now-imprisoned Niagara Falls cocaine dealer for the purpose of distributing that cocaine, and that he made about five of those purchases after driving to the dealer’s apartment in the marked Niagara Falls Police Department patrol car to which he was assigned.

United States Attorney Flynn noted that the investigation is ongoing and asked that if anyone in the community has any information about Mr. Warme that they believe might be of assistance to the investigation that they contact Detective Lieutenant Kelly Rizzo at the Niagara Falls Police Department at 716-286-4592.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.