The NYPD under Mayor Eric Adams solicited bribes for promotions, falsified time cards, put unqualified pals in specialized units and routinely ignored rules on body cameras, a bombshell series of new lawsuits claims.
Four bombshell lawsuits filed late Monday claim Adams and his top NYPD allies of running a department ripe with corruption and retaliation, and substantiate rumors of multiple federal and local investigations into illegal behavior.
The suits come as Adams faces an uphill reelection campaign as an independent.
Former NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig’s lawsuit accuses former Commissioner Edward Caban sold promotions for up to $15,000, and is currently under a federal investigation for selling shields.
According to the suit, Caban “tired” of Essig challenging him and former Chief of Department Jeffery Maddrey’s “unusual and non-customary promotion and transfer practices,” including “unvetted promotions” into the mega-sensitive Special Victims Unit, and told him to take a $50,000 pay cut — or resign.
In another suit, the second in command of Internal Affairs, Joesph Veneziano — a 30-year NYPD veteran — allegedly faced a similar ultimatum after looking into false overtime slips signed by a friend of Maddrey who worked in his office.
Veneziano’s suit notes that he cooperated with an investigation from the Brooklyn DA’s office — as he is required to as part of his job — but faces intense backlash from Maddrey.
At first, Veneziano claims, former NYPD commish Keechant Sewell “protected” him from “Maddrey’s retaliation.”
But just a month after Sewell resigned and was replaced by Adams pal Caban, he was given a demotion to the “inferior” Transit Bureau and resigned a month later.
The NYPD and city Law Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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