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12h ago

Ex-NYPD Chiefs Sue Mayor Adams and Top Officials Over Cronyism and Retaliation

Four suits filed Monday allege unqualified allies paid for discretionary promotions, with senior officers pushed out after raising concerns.

FILE - Edward A. Caban, center, speaks after being sworn in as NYPD police commissioner outside New York City Police Department 40th Precinct on July 17, 2023, in New York. Mayor Eric Adams on the right. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File)
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez was joined by Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch at his Brooklyn Office to announce the arrest of several members of the Road To Riches Gang, (R2R), and the seizure of several guns in Brooklyn on Thursday July 3, 2025. 0936. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)
New York Mayor Eric Adams and First Deputy Commissioner Edward A. Caban stand silently as they arrive for a press conference at the NYPD 40th Precinct on July 17, 2023 in New York City.
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Overview

  • Four former NYPD chiefs—James Essig, Matthew Pontillo, Joseph Veneziano and Christopher McCormack—filed lawsuits in Manhattan Supreme Court on July 8 accusing Mayor Eric Adams and his top aides of department corruption and retaliation.
  • The filings name former Police Commissioners Edward Caban and Jeffrey Maddrey, ex-Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks and current Chief John Chell as defendants in a coordinated scheme to install unqualified associates into elite NYPD units.
  • James Essig’s suit alleges that Caban sold promotions for up to $15,000 and threatened him with a $50,000 pay cut or demotion after he challenged irregular hiring practices.
  • Matthew Pontillo’s lawsuit describes how Community Response Team officers delayed activating body-worn cameras to conceal unconstitutional stops and says internal audits were suppressed.
  • City Hall and the named officials have vowed to defend against the claims and all legal proceedings and discovery remain pending.