A series of explosive lawsuits filed Monday by four former senior NYPD officials accuse New York City Mayor Eric Adams and top police brass of orchestrating a web of cronyism, retaliation, and pay-to-play promotions within the country’s largest police force.
Among the plaintiffs is James Essig, once the NYPD’s chief of detectives, who, along with the others, claims to have faced demotion or forced retirement after speaking out against what they describe as an entrenched system of corruption. The alleged scheme, they say, included the sale of top police promotions, sometimes for as much as $15,000, with the mayor’s tacit endorsement.
A spokesperson for Mayor Adams, who is seeking reelection, stated that the administration will review the complaints and maintained that NYPD leadership is held to the “highest standards.”
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The lawsuits center on events beginning in 2023, when Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, a longtime ally of the mayor, allegedly began bypassing internal protocols to elevate “unqualified friends” into key public safety roles. Maddrey and his legal representatives have not responded to the allegations.
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Essig, in his complaint, noted an “unusually high number” of under-experienced personnel being reassigned to the NYPD’s sex crimes unit. When he brought his concerns to then–First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban, he said he was instead reprimanded.
According to Essig, after Caban was promoted to commissioner, he informed him he’d be dropped five ranks from his leadership post. Rather than accept the demotion, Essig resigned from the department after four decades of service. He later learned, per the lawsuit, that Caban had been “selling promotions” to select allies.
“Some of them went for up to $15,000,” the suit alleges. Essig’s attorney, Sarena Townsend, declined to elaborate further on the bribery claim.
Attorneys representing Caban called the allegations “unsupported and reckless,” and insisted there was “no merit to the allegations raised in these complaints.”
Caban stepped down from his position in September, not long after the FBI raided his home. Maddrey also resigned after federal agents searched his residence and he was separately accused of pressuring a subordinate for sex. Neither has been criminally charged.
The complaints point to a broader pattern of internal interference. One suit names Chief of Department John Chell for allegedly obstructing oversight mechanisms designed to hold the mayor’s allies accountable.
Matthew Pontillo, the department’s former chief of professional standards, claims that an internal audit flagged “troubling patterns” of unlawful stops by the Community Response Team, officers who reportedly delayed activating body cameras. When Pontillo brought the issue to then-Commissioner Keechant Sewell, Chell allegedly confronted him afterward, saying: “Why’d you have to tell her?”
Sewell reportedly met with Mayor Adams later that day. She submitted her resignation hours later and was eventually replaced by Caban.
The NYPD has yet to issue an official comment on the lawsuits, according to a report by AP.
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