Lawsuits dredge up messy NYPD era under Eric Adams as he begins reelection bid

Politico

a day ago

One of Essig's deputies, Christopher McCormack, similarly alleged in a separate suit that he was retaliated against after rejecting some of the candidates proffered by close aides to Adams. He also named Banks, the former deputy mayor for public safety, in his complaint. Those picks, who McCormack found to be unqualified, were eventually placed on elite teams anyway.
One candidate allegedly referred by Banks told McCormack he wanted into the 'El Dorado' unit tasked with investigating money laundering because the name 'sounded cool,' according to the lawsuit. McCormack found the applicant to be unqualified. Banks' pick allegedly made it onto the team anyway.
Each of the complainants included a monetary angle to their grievances. After each of them left city service, City Hall gave managerial staff at the NYPD a pay hike they missed out on.
The suits are just the latest reminder of the chaos that reigned at the department under Adams and the unresolved criminal investigations into some of his closest and most loyal aides that could come back to bite him on the stump.
Caban, for example, is reportedly being probed for a pay-to-play scheme involving promotions — a probe that was referenced in one of the suits. He was also being eyed by authorities for an alleged kickback scheme involving his twin brother and security at New York City nightclubs.
Maddrey was forced to resign after reports that he sexually assaulted an underling and gave her overtime in exchange.
And Banks had his phone taken by federal agents as part of a wide-ranging probe last year.
Mayoral spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said the city would review the lawsuits filed Monday and defended the integrity of the NYPD, which is now led by 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 the lowest number of shootings in recorded history,' she said in a statement. 'That is no coincidence — it's thanks to the Adams administration's laser focus on public safety.'
Adams is running in the general election on an independent ballot line after dropping out of the Democratic primary amid a now-defunct criminal bribery case. He has been touting decreases in major crimes — though has POLITICO has reported, the overall picture is much more complicated — and has cast himself as the candidate needed to keep the city on the right track.
The lawsuits filed Monday, movement in any of the state or federal investigations, or new allegations of malfeasance could easily become cannon fodder for his opponents, who include Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, fellow independent candidates Andrew Cuomo and Jim Walden, and GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa. The mayor's management record could become an especially potent line of attack for the more moderate hopefuls whose politics — and in the case of Cuomo, his base of Black voters — overlap with Adams.