Vineland’s police chief has filed a federal lawsuit against city leaders, police officers and union officials alleging he has been the victim of a smear campaign to drive him from office because of his efforts to root out corruption.

Chief Rudolph Beu IV is currently suspended from his post with the intention to demote, according to his lawsuit.

This suit follows a lawsuit filed last year by Vineland Sgt. Ronald DeMarchi in which he alleged Beu offered him a promotion if the sergeant allowed Beu to have sex with his wife and underage daughter. That suit has since been dismissed, according to court records.

Beu claims DeMarchi’s allegation was part of a larger scheme to force out the chief because of his efforts to report any “unethical, improper, corruptive, fraudulent and/or illegal activity taking place by or among city officials and the VPD.”

Among those named in the suit are Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci, City Solicitor Rick Tonetta, Public Safety Director Edwin Alicea, Vineland police officers Craig Scarpa, Gregory Pacitto and David Cavagnaro, who are police union, PBA Local 266, leaders, and DeMarchi.

Many of the Beu’s allegations are similar to those contained in a suit filed last month by Vineland Police Capt. Adam Austino, who says he was also retaliated against for being a whistleblower who uncovered corruption in the department.

Beu accused city officials of retaliating and defaming him through “sham investigations meant to harass and humiliate” him and by refusing to enter into good-faith negotiations over his employment contract.

In addition to the claims by DeMarchi, Beu says he was targeted for refusal to turn over internal affairs files on department employees to an attorney hired by the city to conduct a “sham investigation” and because of Beu’s alleged conflict of interest for his involvement with the discipline of an officer who is the father of his grandchild.

These matters, including the DeMarchi claim, were reviewed by the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office and he was exonerated in each case, according to Beu’s lawsuit.

For refusing to turn over the internal affairs files to Alicea, Beu was suspended Feb. 26, even though he argued that the county prosecutor’s office agreed with his position that releasing the files was up to the chief’s discretion under state guidelines. The notice of suspension includes references to the other matters that the prosecutor’s office had already investigated, Beu notes.

He was suspended with pay pending a March 16 hearing, when he faces a 180-day unpaid suspension and a demotion to deputy chief. His current salary is $154,732, according to state pension records.

In a separate lawsuit filed in state Superior Court, Beu seeks an injunction preventing the city from following through with its planned discipline.

A representative in Fanucci’s office referred questions about the suits to the city’s legal department, which did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Efforts to reach an attorney for the union were unsuccessful Wednesday afternoon.

Beu’s federal lawsuit describes a combative relationship with city leaders and the local PBA.

The chief says he and others reported in 2015 that some officers in the police department were siphoning funds from an unaudited account and using that money for personal expenses. Money in that account came from donations to the department and from the sale of public property, according to the suit.

Evidence of that wrongdoing was shared with city officials, the department’s internal affairs unit and the county prosecutor’s office, according to Beu, who was a captain at the time.

The prosecutor’s office issued investigatory findings in the case, and Beu alleges Alicea concealed the findings in the basement of his home for four months.

Upper police management retaliated against those who reported the embezzlement, according to Beu, and city and police officials worked to cover up the matter and protect the wrongdoers from any discipline. Most of those involved were permitted to “quietly retire” without facing charges, Beu claims.

The chief also describes misconduct in the department’s street crimes unit, including illegal stops and frisks, illegal searches, falsified reports and falsified informant payment records.

In 2016, he brought his concerns to the then-chief, but said efforts to reform the unit were met with “significant resistance” from officers in the unit and their union. When he became chief in 2017, Beu says the decision was made to disband the unit, which was met with a hostile reaction from the union.

Beu was responsible for disciplining officers in the unit who had been charged with wrongdoing and PBA members began lobbying city officials to interfere in the discipline process in order to reduce or eliminate any penalties the cops may face, Beu alleges.

City officials interfered in the selection of a hearing officer for the matter and pressured Beu to reduce penalties against officers, he says.

From there, the chief’s relationship with city officials and PBA Local 266 “deteriorated significantly,” according to the suit, and Beu faced “egregious retaliation for his adherence to proper policy and procedure and opposition to wrongful acts committed by PBA Local 266.”

Beu also accused the city of engaging in insurance fraud regarding fraudulent workers’ compensation claims, saying he reported these issues to county and state agencies on several occasions in 2018 and 2019. He added that these issues remain under investigation.

Beu said he has been defamed and humiliated by news reports about the allegations that he offered DeMarchi a promotion in exchange for sexual favors with his wife and daughter, and described how copies of news articles about that case were placed at several employee work stations in city hall. He also describes union members wearing T-shirts with Beu’s photo and the words “Mr. Beu, Hide your kids, Hide your wife,” in reference to DeMarchi’s claim.

Beu states in his suit that union members made and sold the shirts.

A retired union member wore one of the shirts during a promotion ceremony at city hall, resulting in a “round of laughter from several individuals and significant humiliation and embarrassment for Chief Beu.”

The suit claims defamation, violation of Beu’s First Amendment rights, violation of the state’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act and civil conspiracy.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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