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New York|Ex-Commissioner Sues, Saying Adams Ran N.Y.P.D. as a Criminal Enterprise
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/16/nyregion/nypd-lawsuit-rico-donlon-eric-adams.html
Thomas G. Donlon, who served only weeks, said in a lawsuit that New York’s mayor and top department officials had manipulated the system for personal and political gain.
July 16, 2025Updated 10:49 a.m. ET
A former police commissioner on Wednesday filed a sweeping federal lawsuit against Mayor Eric Adams of New York City and top police officials, accusing the mayor of running City Hall and the Police Department as a criminal enterprise.
The lawsuit marks the fifth time in two weeks that Mr. Adams’s Police Department has been accused of wrongdoing by a former top official. It will likely add to the growing scrutiny of the mayor’s handling of the department as he seeks re-election in November touting his public safety accomplishments, including a drop in murders and shootings.
The commissioner, Thomas G. Donlon, a former F.B.I. official, was appointed in the fall of 2024 to stabilize a shaky Police Department that had been micromanaged by the mayor, a former captain on the force. Mr. Donlon stepped down weeks into the job after federal agents searched his home for classified documents in an unrelated investigation.
In his suit, Mr. Donlon claims in his brief time in the department to have “uncovered systemic corruption and criminal conduct being perpetrated by the N.Y.P.D.’s leadership.” He says that when he reported his findings to the mayor, Mr. Adams “condoned the misconduct,” allowing the wrongdoing to continue.
Read Thomas Donlon’s Lawsuit
The suit accuses police officials and Mayor Eric Adams of various federal crimes and calls for an independent authority to oversee key decisions at the Police Department.
Though Mr. Donlon accuses the mayor and other police officials of various federal crimes — and even calls for an independent authority to oversee key decisions at the department — there is no indication that federal prosecutors in Manhattan will agree with his assessment and many of his claims are uncorroborated for now.
“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,” said Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokeswoman for the mayor. “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.”
Broadly, the lawsuit echoes four others filed last week by former top police officials, which also accused Mr. Adams of enabling corruption in the department.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in the New York region for The Times. He is focused on political influence and its effect on the rule of law in the area's federal and state courts.
William K. Rashbaum is a Times reporter covering municipal and political corruption, the courts and broader law enforcement topics in New York.
Maia Coleman is a reporter for The Times covering the New York Police Department and criminal justice in the New York area.
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