Ex-Middletown police sergeant gets prison for misconduct in ghost gun, narcotics case

⚠️ Former Middletown sergeant David Ringkamp will serve five years in prison after taking a plea deal.

➡️ Ringkamp, also an Army veteran, admitted to conspiracy to commit misconduct.

🔴 His case began with a 2021 investigation into ghost-gun kits and illegal drugs.

FREEHOLD – A former Middletown Township police sergeant heads to prison after admitting to crimes of abusing his authority as a law enforcement officer.

David Ringkamp, previously of Union Beach, was sentenced on Friday to five years by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley.

The 45-year-old Ringkamp pleaded guilty in March to a second-degree charge of conspiracy to commit official misconduct, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said on Tuesday.

It was a considerable plea deal, as the U.S. Army veteran turned-officer was indicted by a Monmouth County grand jury on 22 charges in late 2024.

Read More: Prosecutor says NJ police sgt. had ghost guns, cocaine, meth in car

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Ringkamp was officially fired in 2022 — before that, he was suspended without pay immediately after his arrest, Middletown Township Police Chief Craig Weber previously confirmed.

Police first launched an investigation into Ringkamp in December 2021.

He was caught up in surveillance of Millstone resident, Nicholas D’Ambrosio, who was spotted buying several kits for “ghost guns,” untraceable firearms assembled from individual parts.

Read More: NJ names 654 disciplined police officers in new report

David Ringkamp prison after plea deal Middletown Police

Police found ghost-gun kits, drugs in Ringkamp's vehicle

New York State Police contacted New Jersey State Police after D’Ambrosio brought the kits, which are illegal in New Jersey, to his Millstone vape shop.

Police saw Ringkamp and his former wife, Amanda Ringkamp (now Amanda Belfiore) arrive at the shop and help D’Ambrosio stash the firearm parts in Ringkamp’s vehicle.

Shortly after, Ringkamp was pulled over and identified himself as a Middletown police sergeant.

Searching the vehicle, officers found the ghost-gun kits, cocaine, and dozens of methamphetamine pills.

A search of Ringkamp’s home several days later revealed additional illegal narcotics, including cocaine and anabolic steroids.

Investigators later found that D’Amborosio realized he was under surveillance and asked Ringkamp to help remove the illegal firearm parts from the shop.

Ringkamp deleted text messages to cover their tracks, lied to State Police to get information about the investigation, and used law enforcement databases numerous times for personal use, prosecutors said.

Before becoming a police officer, Ringkamp served in the U.S. Army for a decade until 2017, as an infantryman and military police officer, with deployments to Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

David Ringkamp gets prison after plea deal,

D’Ambrosio also faced ghost-gun and drug charges

After being busted for more than 25 pounds of illegal marijuana and marijuana edible products, D’Ambrosio was arrested again in 2024 and charged with manufacturing ghost gun parts on a 3D printer and drug offenses.

He pleaded guilty to several charges and was sentenced to eight years.

D’Ambrosio only served months of the term, as he was released from prison in February 2025, records show.

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