Four former top NYPD officials filed lawsuits Monday, alleging they were forced out of the department after raising concerns about misconduct, political favoritism, and violations of department policy tied to Mayor Eric Adams’ inner circle.
The suits, brought by former Chief of Detectives James Essig, former Assistant Chief Christopher McCormack, former Assistant Chief Joseph Veneziano, and former Chief of Professional Standards Matthew Pontillo, describe a culture of cronyism and retaliation fueled by senior NYPD leaders and the mayor’s closest allies from 2022 through late 2023.
In the lawsuits, all four former officials say they had long, unblemished careers and were promoted under multiple administrations before the Adams era. Each claims they were ultimately forced out for doing their jobs with integrity. The former chiefs allege violations of the state’s whistleblower statute, which protects public employees from adverse actions for reporting misconduct. Each suit seeks compensatory damages, and some demand multimillion-dollar punitive awards.
All four plaintiffs are represented by attorney Sarena Townsend who told amNewYork she was honored to represent the former NYPD Chiefs against Mayor Adams and “his cabal.”
“My clients were amongst the highest ranked members of NYPD, each of whom gave between 30 and 40 unblemished years to our great city, only to be pushed out by a Mayor who chose nepotism and retaliation over safety and merit, ” Townsend said.
“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. And when my clients – decorated, high ranking leaders of the NYPD – tried to stop him and his cronies from committing illegal or unethical acts within the Department, they got pushed out in retaliation,” she added.
Filed in New York State Supreme Court on July 7, the lawsuits name the city, the NYPD, Adams, former Police Commissioner Edward Caban and former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey as defendants.
Caban resigned from his post in September 2024 amid an ongoing federal investigation into the nightlife dealings of his twin brother, while Maddrey stepped down that December over allegations he repeatedly sexually assaulted a female subordinate and provided her with excessive amounts of overtime to keep her quiet.
Pontillo’s suit also names the current Chief of Department John Chell. McCormack’s suit includes former Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III who resigned from the Adams administration in Oct 2024.
Mayoral spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said the Adams administration “holds our top brass at the NYPD to the highest standards.”
”We will review the lawsuits,” she added.
The NYPD did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations at the time of publication.
‘Why’d you have to tell her?’
Matthew Pontillo, who oversaw NYPD’s Professional Standards Bureau until his resignation in 2023, alleges that he was pushed out after exposing widespread misconduct within the department’s Community Response Team (CRT), the anti-crime unit created by Mayor Adams in 2022 to target quality-of-life issues.
A recent investigation by Pro Publica found the unit has been ridden with abuses, while a monitor appointed by a federal court concluded last month that the unit has been unjustly stopping and searching people, almost all of them Black and Hispanic men.
According to the July 7 complaint, Pontillo raised alarms about the unit’s repeated misuse of body-worn cameras and unconstitutional street stops.
He claims he presented an internal audit on the CRT to then-Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell on June 12, 2023, who he said was supportive of his findings and recommendations during a meeting convened with other officials.
After the meeting concluded, Pontillo claims he was pulled by Chell who allegedly scolded him, saying, “Why’d you have to tell her?”
Hours later, Sewell abruptly resigned from her post of 18 months. amNewYork and other outlets reported at the time that Sewell had little power within the department she was charged with running.
Sewell was replaced as Commissioner by Caban, and Pontillo claims that within weeks he was given an ultimatum: resign or accept a demotion of five ranks and a $50,000 pay cut.
“Because Pontillo had taken the civil service examination and had civil service job protection, Pontillo could not be fired without due process,” the suit reads. “Accordingly, Defendants Caban, Maddrey and Chell, with the implied and tacit approval of Defendant Mayor Adams, contrived a plan to force Pontillo to resign from his position at NYPD. “
Politicized, punished, pressured
Essig, a 40-year veteran who led the Detective Bureau, claims in his lawsuit that political interference in staffing decisions became routine after Maddrey and Caban rose to leadership roles under Mayor Adams.
Essig claims that starting in late 2022, elite units were increasingly staffed by “friends and cronies” of City Hall, bypassing internal vetting standards.
In his complaint, Essig said he repeatedly objected to unqualified officers being promoted or transferred into sensitive roles, including the Special Victims Unit and Criminal Task Force Division.
He claims he raised these concerns repeatedly with Caban, who was the First Deputy to the Police Commissioner at the time, and Maddrey, during monthly meetings. He said they both disregarded him and continued advancing their associates and allies.
The suit recalls one alleged interaction between Essig and Caban after other members of Essig’s office, who were also tasked with overseeing transfers, began noticing that candidates lacking the necessary qualifications or experience were being considered for transfer or were actually placed in CTFD units.
Essig said he conveyed that such actions were unacceptable, saying, “We can’t be doing this.” Caban allegedly replied, “Do you have a problem with this?!” Due to the chain of command, Essig said he felt unable to directly challenge Caban, and the improper transfers persisted. The lawsuit also claims that Caban was allegedly accepting payments of up to $15,000 in exchange for these promotions.
When Essig observed an unusually large number of unvetted promotions into the SVU, he said he recognized that raising his concerns alone would not lead to meaningful change. As a result, he cautioned Caban that members of the City Council and external advocacy organizations were likely to notice the same irregularities and begin demanding answers. Caban dismissed the warning, he claimed.
Essig says he was then offered a stark choice in August 2023: step down or accept a five-rank demotion to Captain. He resigned.
Separately, Jospeh Veneziano, who led the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, claims he was forced out after assisting prosecutors with an investigation into Maddrey’s conduct.
The lawsuit states that Veneziano oversaw disciplinary actions against close associates of Maddrey, Caban and Adams, including one officer who was later reinstated and promoted by Maddrey despite prior misconduct findings.
According to the complaint, after cooperating with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Veneziano was reassigned to the Transit Bureau in what he described as a “rubber room” post that came without responsibilities or future prospects. The suit claims the move to the Transit Bureau was intended to embarrass him and designed to drive him out.
He resigned in November 2023 after four months.
“Veneziano’s cooperation incensed Maddrey, even though Veneziano was just doing his job and had no choice but to cooperate with an official request from the District Attorney’s Office,” the lawsuit reads. “After Maddrey learned of Veneziano’s cooperation with the District Attorney’s Office, Veneziano was told by a senior member of the Police Commissioner’s office that Maddrey wanted Veneziano gone and that Maddrey did not want Veneziano in a position to testify against him.”
In the final suit, Christopher McCormack, who led the Criminal Task Force Division (CTFD), said he clashed with Banks and Maddrey over efforts to install unqualified officers into high-profile assignments.
In one instance, Banks allegedly recommended someone for assignment to the El Dorado unit, which handles money-laundering investigations and typically requires officers with financial or accounting expertise.
During the interview, McCormack said he asked the candidate, who lacked that background, why he wanted to join the unit. The officer replied that the name “sounded cool.”
McCormack also reportedly discovered the officer had a criminal record that could undermine his credibility in court. Despite McCormack’s objections, the officer was ultimately assigned to the El Dorado unit. According to the complaint, he remains there.
On another occasion, McCormack said he was tasked with assigning officers from his division to summer foot patrol. Following standard practice, he chose the newest members of the unit, many of whom had allegedly recently been placed on CTFD by Maddrey and Banks.
According to a Sergeant in his office, a Lieutenant closely connected to Maddrey and Banks was telling others that the two believed McCormack was “messing with our people,” and warned that if he continued, he was “going to get hurt.”
According to the lawsuit, Maddrey, Banks, and then Police Commissioner Caban became frustrated with McCormack’s refusal to simply “play ball” and place their “friends and cronies” on the CTFD – before offering him a demotion or the option to resign.
McCormack’s last day of work was in September 2023.
“If New Yorkers are wondering why crime in NYC has worsened under Mayor Adams, look no further than these four lawsuits,” the four former NYPD Chiefs’ attorney Sarena Townsend said. “These men, and several other former Chiefs like them, were all pushed out to accommodate Mayor Adams’ handouts and to muzzle whistleblowers from exposing his NYPD buddies’ corrupt behavior. Instead of qualified leaders running the most important law enforcement agency in the country, we have ‘The Adams Family’ running amok.”
