High officers on the New York Metropolis police division doled out prized promotions to unqualified “associates and cronies,” in keeping with a bombshell lawsuit that additionally accuses a former police commissioner of promoting promotions for as much as $15,000.
James Essig, a former NYPD chief of detectives, says within the go well with that the improper promotions have been pushed by former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and former Chief of Division Jeffrey Maddrey, each of whom resigned in late 2024 amid unrelated scandals.
The lawsuit says that Essig, who retired in 2023, raised issues over the promotions and that doing so in the end price him his job.
“Essig couldn’t be fired with out due course of,” the lawsuit says. “Accordingly, defendants Caban and Maddrey, with the implied and tacit approval of Defendant Mayor [Eric] Adams, contrived a plan to drive Essig to resign from his place.”
Along with Caban, Maddrey and Adams, the go well with additionally targets the NYPD. It was one in every of 4 lawsuits filed Tuesday by the identical lawyer, every with a separate former senior NYPD commander because the plaintiff. The fits accuse NYPD high brass of working a division beset by corruption, unlawful conduct and retaliation.
Adams’ press secretary, Kayla Mamelak, pointed to the town’s reducing crime charges in an announcement issued after the lawsuits have been filed.
“The Adams administration holds all metropolis staff — together with management on the NYPD — to the best requirements, and our work on the division speaks for itself,” Mamelak stated.
“We are going to evaluation the lawsuits,” she added.
Attorneys for Caban, Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski, denied the allegations, saying in an announcement that that they had “no benefit … together with the unsupported and reckless suggestion that former Commissioner Caban accepted something of worth in reference to promotions.”
Maddrey’s lawyer didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The lawsuit didn’t say how Essig knew in regards to the alleged quid professional quo. It did say, although, that Essig and different members of his workplace, which oversees the promotion course of for the detective bureau, first detected indicators of improper transfers and promotions in early 2023.
Simply two months earlier, Maddrey had been promoted to chief of division, the NYPD’s highest uniformed place. He was a “longtime pal and crony of Mayor Adams,” the go well with says.
Essig and his colleagues started to note that “unqualified or inexperienced detective investigators” have been being positioned into the elite Legal Activity Power Division “regardless of being rejected as unqualified or inexperienced,” the go well with says.
Maddrey “needed to bypass the official transfers and put his associates and cronies on the [Criminal Task Force Division],” in keeping with the lawsuit.
Involved in regards to the transfers to that unit and others, Essig went to debate the matter with Caban, who was then the primary deputy police commissioner, the go well with says.
“We will not be doing this,” Essig instructed Caban, in keeping with the go well with.
Caban replied, “Do you’ve an issue with this?” the go well with says.
Essig felt he couldn’t instantly problem Caban as a result of Caban was his superior, in keeping with the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says Caban and Maddrey additionally chosen “associates and cronies” for discretionary promotions, bypassing the official course of.
“Upon data and perception, it is because Caban was promoting promotions in trade for as much as $15,000,” the go well with says, with out elaborating.
Caban claims within the go well with that federal investigators are wanting into the allegations. A spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Southern District of New York didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Essig continued to voice his issues to Maddrey and Caban in regards to the “unvetted transfers and promotions.” He was particularly alarmed, the go well with says, after he seen that an unusually excessive variety of unvetted detectives have been convey transferred into the Particular Victims Unit, which investigates intercourse crimes and is extremely scrutinized by advocates and out of doors teams.
The go well with says Maddrey and Caban “finally bored with Essig questioning their uncommon and non-customary promotion and switch practices and determined to exchange Essig.”
In August 2023, the go well with says, Caban provided Essig two choices: resign or settle for a demotion that will contain a wage reduce of $40,000-$50,000.
Essig, a 40-year veteran, meant to serve till this February, the go well with says. Confronted with these choices, he retired as a substitute.
Caban, who was promoted to commissioner in July 2023, resigned final September after his telephone was seized as a part of a federal probe into the division’s nightclub enforcement. NBC Information reported on the time that the investigation was wanting into whether or not his brother had been paid by bars and golf equipment in Midtown Manhattan and Queens to behave as a police liaison, and if these golf equipment have been then afforded particular remedy by native precincts.
Caban and his brother have denied any wrongdoing.
Maddrey resigned final December amid allegations that he had demanded intercourse from a subordinate. Maddrey has denied the allegations.
