Ex-NYPD head claims Adams ran 'criminal conspiracy,' calls for federal takeover of police dept.

NEW YORK - Former interim Police Commissioner Thomas G. Donlon is accusing Mayor Eric Adams and top NYPD officials of running a "criminal enterprise" inside the country’s largest police department.

In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, Donlon claims that under Adams, the NYPD functioned "as a racketeering enterprise," in order to "consolidate political power, obstruct justice, and punish dissent."

READ THE FULL LAWSUIT HERE

Donlon claims he was appointed commissioner in name only while real control remained with Adams’ inner circle, including Tania Kinsella, former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, his successor John Chell, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry, Tarik Sheppard, and Michael Gerber, who are all named in the suit.

Dig deeper:

According to the suit, that group manipulated internal affairs, blocked investigations, and used Donlon’s official stamp without permission to promote politically connected allies over qualified officers. "The NYPD… functions as a racketeering enterprise," the complaint says.

Donlon alleges that when he tried to confront the misconduct, he was pushed aside, stripped of power, and ultimately removed. 

Donlon addresses death threats: "I will f**king kill you." 

In the lawsuit, Donlon also accuses retired NYPD official Tarik Sheppard of forging his signature to promote himself. When confronted, Sheppard allegedly told Donlon, "I will f**king kill you." 

In FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt's exclusive interview with Sheppard, he strongly denies making the statement and questions why Donlon remained with the NYPD despite his accusations. 

"No, I did not tell him that I was going to kill him," said Sheppard. "If this regime was so corrupt and so bad, that is strange that Commissioner Donlon would take a second job with the administration after he was removed as PC, and he seemed to be very happy in that second job." 

‘Unlawful detention’ of Donlon's wife

The retaliation, he says, turned personal—culminating in the false arrest of his wife and a coordinated leak of their private information to the press. "The NYPD Defendants would stop at nothing to silence and personally destroy Donlon," the suit claims.

What they're saying:

Mayor Adams’ press secretary, Kayla Mamelak, dismissed the claims saying: 

"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."

The Mayor himself also denied the accusations, calling them baseless. 

"This is the season where you are going to see a lot of this stuff," Adams said. "It knows the political season, but it is baseless, disgruntled…"

What's next:

Donlon is seeking damages and calling for a federal monitor to oversee NYPD promotions, discipline, and whistleblower protections.

Apparently he's asking for a federal takeover of the NYPD and the appointment of a special monitor to keep watch over the NYPD’s disciplinary process and promotion decisions, according to POLITICO.

Tom Donlon lawsuit

Who is Thomas Donlon?

In Sept. 2024, Mayor Adams named Donlon as interim police commissioner following Edward Caban's resignation.

"I’m taking immediate action in appointing Tom Donlon as interim police commissioner," Adams said during a press conference.

Prior to being called to serve under Adams, Donlon was the New York Director of the Office of Homeland Security, and he worked with a joint terrorism task force.

He was also a co-case agent in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing investigation. 

Donlon also served as Supervisory Special Agent in the Violent Crime Major Offenders Section for the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force at the FBI headquarters.

Donlon has also handled numerous federal violations, including foreign counterintelligence, civil rights, bank fraud and embezzlement and numerous criminal violations.