A former Bucks County deputy sheriff secretly photographed two naked people in custody on separate occasions, covered his body camera during one incident, shared the images with coworkers and personal contacts,and then lied to investigators, District Attorney Joe Khan announced at a press conference Monday, at the Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown.

Ryan Gaffney, 46, of Feasterville-Trevose, faces five misdemeanor charges filed via criminal summons: two counts of official oppression, one count of unsworn falsification to authorities, one count of obstructing the administration of law and one count of possession of an instrument of crime, according to court records.

Gaffney was terminated from the Sheriff's Office in March 2026. He had served as a deputy since June 2023.

What investigators found

According to the criminal complaint, on January 30, Gaffney and four other uniformed deputies executed an arrest warrant at a home in Middletown Township. The man they were arresting was experiencing a mental health crisis and was found in an upstairs bedroom, naked from the waist down.

While the man sat on a bench trying to put on pants, Gaffney covered his own body camera with his hand, according to the affidavit. A body camera worn by another deputy in the room captured Gaffney removing his right glove, pulling out his personal cellphone, opening the camera app, and pointing it directly at the man.

"What was clear was that Mr. Gaffney knew that what he was doing was wrong, and that was really the essence of why he covered his body camera at the time," Khan said. "The other deputy sheriffs weren't doing that; they weren't engaging in this kind of obscene behavior."

Later that day at the Bucks County Justice Center, Gaffney showed the photograph of the man's genitals to female civilian employees "in jest," the complaint states. Forensic analysis revealed he also texted the image to two personal contacts.

A second image uncovered

A digital forensic examination of Gaffney's phone uncovered a second photograph dated December 26, 2024. That image depicted a separate handcuffed, naked male prisoner lying across a bed in a hotel room, Khan said. Gaffney sent that image to 12 personal contacts over four separate dates.

Gaffney lied to investigators, DA says

The criminal investigation began on March 31, after Bucks County detectives received a referral from the Sheriff's Office, which had launched an internal affairs inquiry following a complaint about Gaffney's conduct.

On April 6, Gaffney sat for a voluntary administrative interview with Sheriff Danny Ceisler and investigators. He denied using his personal phone to create or distribute the January 30 image and signed a written statement containing those false denials, according to the complaint.

Through his attorney, Gaffney also provided selective screenshots of his photo libraries in an attempt to mislead investigators into believing the image was not on his phone, Khan said.

A court-authorized forensic search of Gaffney's iPhone on Wednesday, April 23, recovered both images. Digital metadata on the January 30 file matched the timestamp and physical positioning captured on the other deputies' body cameras.

What's next

Gaffney's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday, August 10, at 2:15 p.m. before Magisterial District Judge Mark D. Douple. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Andrew Michael Bukowski. Bucks County Detective William J. Mooney Jr. is the arresting officer of record.

Khan said no one else is being charged in connection with the case. He thanked Sheriff Ceisler for "swift action" in referring the matter to the DA's office.

Anyone with information about official misconduct can contact the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.