Adams made NYPD his personal ‘racketeering enterprise,’ lawsuit alleges
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Former interim NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon accused Mayor Eric Adams and top NYPD executives of widespread corruption and conspiracy in a major lawsuit Wednesday. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By Noah Powelson
Mayor Eric Adams' legal troubles grew on Wednesday as yet another former NYPD executive filed a lawsuit against the mayor, accusing Adams of turning the NYPD and the city into his own personal criminal conspiracy empire and targeting any who opposed him.
In an over 200-page lawsuit, former Interim NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon accused Adams and several police executives of a systematic retaliation campaign against the former commissioner for uncovering corruption and criminal conduct in the NYPD’s leadership.
Donlon accused Adams alongside former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, current Chief of Department John Chell and former Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry of running the NYPD like their own personal mob, committing multiple degrees of fraud, obstructing justice and retaliating against whistleblowers.
Former Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard, First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella, and Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters Michael Gerber were also listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
Donlon, formerly a senior executive in the FBI, was appointed as interim police commissioner while Adams was in the midst of several criminal investigations. Donlon alleges he was selected and used as a public relations shield instead of a police commissioner, and his appointment came with no power or authority as Adams and his cohort repeatedly engaged in systemic fraud, fabricated promotions, retaliatory policing, and the obstruction of internal investigations by high-ranking officials.
For his repeated criticisms, questioning and exposure of the Adams administration’s corruption, the lawsuit reads, Donlon faced a series of retaliatory actions including leaking his private information to the press and falsely arresting his wife before eventually being illegally fired.
One such case Donlon says he faced retaliation for was his criticism of Adams’ handling of Operation Restore Roosevelt in Queens in October of last year.
Operation Restore Roosevelt, which the lawsuit refers to as ORR, was a 90-day crackdown of illegal street vendors and brothels on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights where over 2,500 arrests were made.
The lawsuit states that Donlon had repeatedly brought his concerns about ORR to Adams and Daughtry, calling it a fundamentally flawed plan rife with mistreatment of NYPD personnel. The lawsuit also accused Daughtry in particular of interfering with federal assistance for the program, disrespecting police officers and ultimately leading a failed operation.
“While ORR focused on visible, low-level offenses, serious violent crime escalated,” the lawsuit reads. “During this period, robberies along the Roosevelt Avenue corridor surged 44% and assaults rose 46% compared to the prior year. This misalignment of resources occurred while local precinct staffing was simultaneously in decline, making any long- term success unsustainable.”
Donlon’s accusations against the Adams administration are numerous and extensive, but together paint a collective picture of a racketeering operation in the guise of governance.
Core to the lawsuit is a series of alleged forgeries made using Donlon’s name to approve officers close to Adams, Daughtery, Maddrey and others for promotion.
Donlon alleges he discovered Deputy Chief Anthony Marino had deliberately taken and concealed a rubber stamp bearing Donlon’s signature. Marino allegedly used the stamp to illegally use Donlon’s signature for approving promotional lists of officers.
After investigation and repeated questioning of NYPD leaders of this incident, Donlon alleges he discovered multiple incidents of officers and chiefs being falsely promoted, which has resulted in the city paying inflated salaries, benefits and pensions to unlawfully promoted officers still in their roles today.
“What resulted was a transfer of wealth in the millions of dollars at the hands of the Defendants herein who falsified NYPD records to make it seem like Donlon had agreed to the promotional list when he had no idea who was being promoted or why,” the lawsuit reads.
The city’s Law Department declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Donlon’s lawsuit comes a week after four former NYPD police chiefs filed their own suits against Adams, Maddrey and Caban. The four former chiefs allege they were forced out of their positions in retaliation for criticizing NYPD leadership for selecting officers for promotions based on personal connections, and at times bribery, instead of qualifications.
The former police chiefs are being represented by Sarena Townsend, who was the deputy commissioner for intelligence and investigation at the Department of Correction before she was asked to step down in 2022.
“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,” Townsend said in a statement.
The stories of the four former police chiefs share parallels with Donlon, especially when it came to how he was let go.
On April 24, 2025, Donlon was telephonically contacted by Human Resources to inform him that his position was eliminated, and that his last day would be May 9, 2025. Donlon said he received no explanation for why his position was terminated, and argues he was fired for his repeated complaints.
“These predicate acts were not isolated—they were coordinated and systemic, forming an
unlawful scheme to preserve power, punish dissent, and defraud the public,” the lawsuit reads.
Donlon is demanding an independent federal monitor be appointed to ensure the NYPD’s lawful compliance with disciplinary processes, whistleblower protections and promotion decisions.
