A group of former high-ranking NYPD officials has filed lawsuits alleging they were pushed out of their positions after raising concerns about unqualified officers receiving promotions connected to then-Police Commissioner Edward Caban.
Four lawsuits were filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday, including claims from former chief of detectives James Essig, who has been a police veteran for 40 years. Essig accuses Caban of selling promotions for as much as $15,000, prompting a federal investigation into the matter.
Caban, who led the NYPD for just over a year, resigned in September 2024 following reports that FBI agents had seized his cellphones. Joining Essig in the lawsuits are Joseph Veneziano, who led the Transit Bureau, Matthew Pontillo, in charge of the Professional Standards Bureau, and former chief Christopher McCormack from the Criminal Task Force Bureau.
The lawsuit claims that Caban, Mayor Eric Adams, and ex-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey violated Civil Service laws by forcing these decorated leaders to resign. Sarena Townsend, the attorney representing the chiefs, stated, “The mayor of New York City is supposed to be a public servant, but Mayor Adams has used his position as a racket to benefit himself and his close friends to the detriment of New Yorkers.”
She went on to detail how her clients, who held high-ranking leadership roles within the NYPD, faced retaliation after trying to stop unethical actions within the department. Both the mayor’s office and the NYPD have yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations.
Attorneys Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski, representing Caban, dismissed the allegations, stating there is “no merit” to the claims, including the accusations that Caban accepted anything in relation to promotions. Attempts to reach representatives of Maddrey were unsuccessful.
The lawsuits also name Philip Banks III, the former deputy mayor for public safety, and current Chief of Department John Chell. Essig claims that the promotion process changed after Mayor Adams assumed office, and he indicated there was a significant shift toward awarding promotions and transfers to Caban’s associates.
When Essig raised concerns about these changes, he alleges he was threatened with demotion by Caban and Maddrey because they could not fire him outright due to Civil Service rules. To avoid a substantial pay cut of $40,000 to $50,000, Essig chose to resign in September 2023, two years before his planned retirement date.
Pontillo supported the claims by stating he expressed public safety concerns regarding new policies introduced by Chell that affected hazardous police pursuits. The lawsuit suggests that officers were also encouraged not to activate their body-worn cameras unless they witnessed a crime.
In McCormack’s case, he alleges that Banks attempted to place a friend, who lacked the necessary experience, in a unit specialized in financial crimes, referred to as “El Dorado” simply because the name “sounded cool.”
Veneziano shares similar accusations, claiming that he became a target after cooperating with a Brooklyn district attorney on an unrelated investigation. Like his colleagues, he was pressured to resign amid threats of costly demotion.
The NYPD has been under significant scrutiny and turmoil under Mayor Adams’ administration. Keechant Sewell, Adams’ first commissioner, resigned just a year and a half into her term without disclosing the reasons for her departure. Caban, who replaced her, left amidst rumors of a federal probe into his actions.
The current commissioner, Thomas Donlon, a former FBI agent who took charge in mid-September 2024, resigned at the end of November of the same year following a federal raid on his home.
Former NYPD detective Joseph Giacalone, now an adjunct professor at Penn State University, commented, “What a mess. Of course, these things flare up over time. Nepotism and cronyism have always been present in the police department, but these lawsuits elevate the situation to a different level.”
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