Former commissioner says NYPD is 'criminal at its core' in new federal lawsuit
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The nation's largest police force is "criminal at its core," according to a new federal lawsuit Wednesday by former interim New York City Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon, who said the NYPD "functions as a racketeering enterprise," at the direction of Mayor Eric Adams.
In addition to Adams, the lawsuit named Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry, Chief of Department John Chell and former Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard among others.
"Senior leadership had abandoned lawful governance and engaged in outright malfeasance by using the NYPD to consolidate political power, obstruct justice, and punish dissent," the lawsuit said. "The Defendants engaged in a coordinated pattern of racketeering activity that was deliberate, sustained, and directed from the highest levels of the NYPD and City Hall."
Adams has since dismissed the 251-page lawsuit as "baseless," and called Donlon "disgruntled."
Adams appointed Donlon interim commissioner in September 2024 for about three months after Edward Caban resigned the post following an FBI search of his home.
Donlon said he was commissioner "in name only" and true authority remained with an inner circle of Adams loyalists.
"The Defendants undermined Donlon's authority by blocking his merit-based promotions and instead elevating unvetted individuals of their choosing. The Defendants then fraudulently used Donlon's official Police Commissioner stamp-without his consent-to legitimize and carry out their corrupt scheme," the lawsuit said.
Donlon accused the defendants of obstructing justice by "sabotaging internal oversight efforts-canceling Donlon's meetings, altering his schedule, spying on his communications, and systematically excluding him from operational decisions."
The lawsuit also accused several of the defendants of carrying out "a calculated and deeply personal act of vengeance" by orchestrating the false arrest of Donlon's wife and leaking it to the press.
"This was not a mistake. It was a deliberate abuse of power designed to punish and intimidate Donlon for exposing their misconduct," the lawsuit said. "This coordinated humiliation was a direct warning: the NYPD Defendants would stop at nothing to silence and personally destroy Donlon, even if it meant violating the constitutional rights of his spouse."
The lawsuit states Sheppard threatened to kill Donlon -- but that's something the then-top NYPD spokesman denies.
"I wouldn't threaten to kill anyone, let alone former Commissioner Donlon," Sheppard said. "It's surprising because even when Commissioner Donlon was asked to step down as PC because he was showing signs of cognitive issues, he chose to stay on board and go work for the so-called 'corrupt' Mayor Adams again at City Hall."
Donlon released a statement that the goal of the lawsuit is to drive change and "hold the corrupt, deceitful, and abusively powerful accountable."
"Serving as the NYPD police commissioner was never about power or position. It was for the good cops-the honest ones trying to do their jobs while corruption festered above them," Donlon said in the statement. "The memory of my father, an NYPD carpenter, walking me through precinct halls as a young boy saying, 'Meet the good people, son,' became my moral compass."
He went on to say that the lawsuit is not a personal grievance, but a "statement against a corrupt system that betrays the public, silences truth, and punishes integrity."
The accusations in Donlon's lawsuit are "absurd," Mayor Adams' press secretary Kayla Mamelak Altus said in a statement later Wednesday.
"These are baseless accusations from a disgruntled former employee who - when given the opportunity to lead the greatest police department in the world - proved himself to be ineffective. This suit is nothing more than an attempt to seek compensation at the taxpayer's expense after Mr. Donlon was rightfully removed from the role of interim police commissioner. The NYPD is led by the best, brightest, and most honorable professionals in the nation - and their results speak for themselves: crime continues to fall across the city, with shootings at the lowest level in recorded history. We will respond in court, where we are confident these absurd claims will be disproven."
Donlon's lawsuit comes after four former top NYPD officials filed a similar lawsuit earlier this month, alleging corruption and cronyism in the department.
Eyewitness News has reached out to the other parties involved in the lawsuit but we have not yet heard back.
The lawsuit also comes amid Mayor Adam's bid for re-election, with less than four months to go.
Adams is a former police captain who got elected to office in large part because he campaigned as the pro-police mayor.
So, does all of this give Andrew Cuomo's campaign a little more of an opening in the mayoral race this November?
"It really undercuts his argument that he is the pro-police mayor," said political consultant John Tomlin.
Tomlin is a political consultant not affiliated with any mayoral campaign.
"It's a good day for Mamdani because it just shows what he's running against," Tomlin said. "He's running against the corruption. He'll say Andrew Cuomo is corrupt. He'll say Eric Adams is corrupt. I'm the only one who's not corrupt."
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
