A former deputy with the Bucks County Sheriff's Office allegedly took nude photos of two men during separate investigations and later shared the images with colleagues and personal contacts, District Attorney Joe Khan said Monday.

Ryan Gaffney, 46, of Feasterville, was fired by the sheriff's department in June amid an investigation by the DA's office.  

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Gaffney allegedly had taken a nude photo of a man while serving an arrest warrant at a home in Middletown Township on Jan. 30. Gaffney and four other sheriff's deputies had gone to the property to locate the man, who was having a mental health crisis, prosecutors said.

"While this man was sitting on a bench at the end of his bed, just trying to put his pants on, Deputy Sheriff Gaffney removed his right glove, pulled out his personal cell phone, opened up the camera app, and pointed the lens right at the man, taking a picture of him with his genitals exposed," Khan said.

Gaffney allegedly covered his body-worn camera while taking the photo, but the body cameras of the other deputies at the home captured his actions, according to a criminal complaint.

Hours after the photo was taken, Gaffney returned to the Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown and showed the image to employees at the facility while on duty, prosecutors said.

"Mr. Gaffney showed that photograph of this man's genitals to female employees in the office in jest," Khan said. "... And our forensic analysis shows that he then sent that image to personal contacts in his phone."

During the review of Gaffney's cell phone, prosecutors discovered a photo he allegedly took of another nude man who was in police custody at a hotel on Dec. 26, 2024.

"This was a handcuffed, naked male prisoner who was lying across the bed," Khan said. "Mr. Gaffney sent this image around to not one, not two, not four, not six, but 12 personal contacts of his over four separate dates."

When Gaffney was questioned about the photos in April, prosecutors said he misled investigators. Gaffney allegedly deleted the photos from his phone and had his attorney provide screenshots of his photo libraries on the dates in question without the images visible. Digital metadata found on Gaffney's phone showed that the timestamp and composition of the Jan. 30 photo lined up with evidence from the body camera footage recovered from the other sheriff's deputies at the scene, prosecutors said.

"Mr. Gaffney's conduct is a disgrace. It is a betrayal of the trust that was placed in him by the sheriff and by the taxpayers," Khan said. "The people of Bucks County must be able to trust that those who are sworn to protect them will respect their basic rights and dignity at all times, especially when they are at their most vulnerable."

Gaffney was hired by the Bucks County Sheriff's Office in 2023. Prior to that, he worked as a police officer in Penndel and Hulmeville. A bio published by the Hulmeville Police Department in 2023 says Gaffney is a veteran who has worked as a police officer since 2008.

Gaffney was charged via summons Monday with official oppression, unsworn falsification to authorities, possessing an instrument of crime, and obstructing the administration of law or other government function.

Khan said there are no charges pending against any other members of the Bucks County Sheriff's Office, which launched an internal affairs investigation on March 31. The DA said it's possible there are additional incidents involving Gaffney that prosecutors are not aware of and encouraged the public to come forward with any new information.

"Everyone has a right to basic dignity, and it doesn't matter who you are or what state you're in," Khan said. "Everyone deserves a basic level of care, and this isn't about the people that were photographed and what they might have done and why they were being arrested. This is about what those of us who are in law enforcement are required to do."