Former NYPD chiefs claim Adams administration created a culture of cronyism, corruption

Four lawsuits filed by former NYPD chiefs on Monday describe a chaotic police department under Mayor Eric Adams’ administration that let officers engage in unconstitutional street stops while corruption and cronyism took hold within the ranks.

The lawsuits, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, allege friends of Adams, such as former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey and former Police Commissioner Edward Caban, tapped unqualified officers for prestigious department jobs and worked to quell internal investigations. At the same time, officers who knowingly violated department policy were promoted to a unit created by the Adams administration aimed at responding to quality-of-life concerns in the city, according to one of the suits.

Adams is seeking re-election on a platform of public safety and accountability. His first term has been overshadowed by alleged corruption that led to FBI raids on some of his top aides, including Caban, though Caban was never charged with a crime. Those investigations culminated with federal prosecutors charging Adams with bribery and campaign finance crimes in September. President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice later dismissed Adams’ case.

The lawsuits come as reports of corruption and misconduct among the NYPD brass have dwindled under current Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

"The Adams administration holds all city employees — including leadership at the NYPD — to the highest standards, and our work at the department speaks for itself: crime continues to topple month after month both above and below ground, with our city seeing lowest number of shootings in recorded history," City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said in a statement. "That is no coincidence — it’s thanks to the Adams administration’s laser focus on public safety. We will review the lawsuits."

The city's Law Department referred questions about the lawsuits to City Hall. The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Through his lawyers, Caban vigorously disputed the claims.

Attorney Sarena Townsend is representing all four of the former chiefs in the lawsuits. She said her clients were forced out of their jobs as the Adams administration sought to muzzle whistleblowers.

“My clients were amongst the highest ranked members of NYPD, each of whom gave between 30 and 40 unblemished years to our great city, only to be pushed out by a mayor who chose nepotism and retaliation over safety and merit,” Townsend said in a statement.

The Community Response Team

One of the three lawsuits claims that top NYPD officials ignored concerns its plaintiff raised about the Community Response Team, or CRT, a unit created by the Adams administration to respond to quality-of-life issues such as illegal dirt bikes and license plates.

The suit, filed by former Chief Matthew Pontillo, claims that in 2023, a number of officers — who are not named in the suit — were promoted to the CRT despite being investigated by the Internal Affairs Bureau for intentionally not activating their body-worn cameras during an incident that year.

The suit says that after finding this out, Pontillo, who was chief of professional standards at the time, investigated the practices of the CRT and found a “pattern of unconstitutional stops and searches.” The audit indicated CRT officers tried to hide illegal stops by not turning on their body-worn cameras when they first stopped someone, the lawsuit states. Instead, according to the suit, the officers would switch on their cameras after it became apparent the stop would produce evidence of a crime to retroactively justify the stop.

Pontillo compiled a report on his findings and submitted it to then-Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, the suit states. Sewell then called a meeting with NYPD borough chiefs to discuss why selective use of body-worn cameras and unconstitutional stops needed to be reined in, the suit states.

Later that day, Sewell discussed the audit's findings at a meeting with Adams, then-Chief of Department John Chell and Maddrey, the former department chief, according to the suit. Hours after that meeting, Sewell resigned from the NYPD without providing an explanation, the suit states.

Unwarranted promotions

The two other lawsuits, filed by former Chief of Detectives James Essig and Assistant Chief Christopher McCormack, allege that police officials close to the mayor rubber-stamped unwarranted promotions for some officers.

The suit filed by Essig includes an allegation that Caban was selling promotions in the department for up to $15,000, but does not expand on the claim.

Caban's lawyers disputed that claim.

"There is no merit to the allegations raised in these complaints, including the unsupported and reckless suggestion that former Commissioner Caban accepted anything of value in connection with promotions. Former Commissioner Caban will vigorously defend against these claims and is evaluating all available legal options in response."

Prior to his resignation in 2023, McCormack was the commanding officer of the Criminal Task Force Division, where he acted as a gatekeeper to ensure detectives who were placed on prestigious task forces were properly suited for the job.

That suit alleges friends of the mayor, including Maddrey and former Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, recommended unvetted transfers to the task forces up to a dozen times. McCormack rejected the recommendations each time, but they were nonetheless placed on the task forces, according to the suit.

In one instance, Banks referred someone with a criminal record to the “El Dorado” unit, a task force that investigates money laundering, the lawsuit says. During an interview with McCormack, the recruit said he wanted the job because the unit “sounded cool,” according to the lawsuit. Despite McCormack’s rejection, the officer was placed on the unit and remains there.

In his lawsuit, Essig focused on allegations of improper transfers to the Special Victims Unit, which is staffed with detectives that investigate sex crimes.

The suit says Essig noticed an “unusually high number of unvetted detectives” being transferred to the unit and raised the issue in 2023 with both Maddrey and Caban. They ignored his concerns, and later worked to force him out of the department, according to the suit.

When Caban became police commissioner, he offered Essig the option of either taking a demotion and a salary cut, or resigning, according to Essig's lawsuit. He resigned in 2023.

Internal Affairs Bureau Retaliation

Joseph Veneziano, the former assistant chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau, is another plaintiff in one of the lawsuits filed Monday. Veneziano alleges he was retaliated against after he participated in internal investigations, including one into Maddrey.

The Brooklyn district attorney’s office contacted Veneziano in January 2023 and requested documents that the Internal Affairs Bureau had about alleged misconduct committed by Maddrey, according to Veneziano's lawsuit. The misconduct is not described in the lawsuit.

Maddrey resigned from the department in December after allegations that he traded sex with a subordinate for overtime were publicly reported.

“Veneziano’s cooperation incensed Maddrey,” the lawsuit states. Veneziano alleges that a senior member of Sewell’s office told him that Maddrey wanted him “gone,” so he was not in a position to testify against him.

Sewell resigned as police commissioner in June of that year, and Adams appointed Caban to the post soon afterward.

“With Edward Caban as police commissioner, Veneziano was no longer protected from Maddrey’s retaliation,” the suit states.

In July 2023, Veneziano was abruptly transferred to the less-prestigious transit bureau, given a job with no duties and encouraged to take as much vacation as possible, according to the lawsuit.

“He was, essentially, ‘rubber roomed,’” the lawsuit states.

Veneziano resigned four months later.