4 ex-New York Police chiefs sue mayor over alleged corruption

Four former New York City Police Department (NYPD) chiefs have decided to sue Mayor Adams, claiming they were forced to retire from the department after complaining that his “unqualified” friends were being placed in prestigious police positions, sometimes after allegedly bribing their way into the jobs.

The lawsuits, according to New York Daily News, also name former Police Commissioner Edward Caban and former NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey as defendants.

The suits alleged that the defendants participated in a conspiracy with the mayor to punish the four senior ex-cops when they spoke out.

Two of the suits additionally name ex-Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks and current NYPD Chief of Department John Chell as defendants, alleging they participated in the scheme, too.

Caban in one of the lawsuits is alleged to have been “selling promotions” to cops for up to $15,000.

Caban, Maddrey and Banks — all longtime Adams friends who haven’t been charged with crimes — resigned last year after their homes were searched and phones seized in federal corruption investigations separate from the probe that resulted in the mayor’s September 2024 bribery and campaign finance fraud indictment.

The new lawsuits from the ex-chiefs paint a portrait of an NYPD rife with dysfunction and corruption, revisiting a theme that has haunted Adams in his first term as mayor, the newspaper reports.

The suits come just as Adams is gearing up for a second term bid, running as an independent in November’s general election amid continued fallout from his indictment.

The four ex-chiefs — James Essig, Matthew Pontillo, Joseph Veneziano and Christopher McCormack — all retired in the second half of 2023 as part of a department shakeup.