Day: July 16, 2025

Sunset Park residents want to fix a popular mural in decay.The mural was created nearly 25 years ago.

The post ✰PREMIUM <br>Sunset Park residents look to form new mural at 54th Street appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Former interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon filed a bombshell, 251-page federal lawsuit Wednesday, accusing Mayor Eric Adams and senior NYPD leadership of using the department as a racketeering enterprise that allegedly engaged in corruption, obstruction of justice, and retaliation against whistleblowers.

Donlon, a former senior FBI executive appointed by Adams in September 2024, in the July 16 lawsuit accuses the mayor and top NYPD officials of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). He claims he was used as a public figurehead amid federal probes of City Hall while real control of the NYPD remained within Adams’ inner circle.

The lawsuit also names First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella, former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, Chief of Department John Chell, former Deputy Commissioner and current First Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Kaz Daughtry, and Deputy Commissioners Tarik Sheppard and Michael Gerber.

According to the complaint, Donlon — who served in the interim post between September and November 2024 before giving way to current Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch — said he uncovered a coordinated scheme to promote politically connected officers without merit, obstruct internal oversight, and manipulate investigations into misconduct.

He alleges that NYPD leaders forged internal documents using his official police commissioner stamp to legitimize unauthorized promotions, resulting in millions of dollars in unearned salaries, overtime, pensions, and benefits.

The NYPD and City Hall did not immediately respond to requests for comments on the claims in Wednesday’s lawsuit.

A City Hall spokesperson told CBS New York, “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. We will respond in court, where we are confident these absurd claims will be disproven.”

Forgeries and ‘coordinated humiliation’

Donlon alleges that Sheppard, then the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information, forged his signature on official NYPD promotion memos, using the Police Commissioner’s stamp without consent.

Donlon said he confronted Sheppard after discovering Sheppard wearing insignia for a rank he never lawfully earned, calling it “a testament to his disregard for regulation and unequivocally stolen valor.”

According to Donlon, Sheppard allegedly denied any wrongdoing. He also brought the matter to Maddrey, the Chief of Department at the time, and Mayor Adams.

He claims Maddrey and Adams acknowledged that Sheppard’s promotion was unauthorized but said neither took disciplinary action.

According to the lawsuit, Maddrey reportedly promised to address the issue and notify Internal Affairs, but did neither.

Despite Donlon’s repeated orders, Sheppard continued to wear the Bureau Chief insignia until November 2024, when Sheppard allegedly threatened to kill Donlon, after which Sheppard was finally demoted “from his stolen Bureau Chief rank.”

Donlon alleges that after the incident in particular, he was systematically excluded from decision-making, stripped of operational authority, and ultimately removed as police commissioner in retaliation.

The complaint also describes a personal retaliation campaign, including the arrest of Donlon’s wife, Deirdre O’Connor-Donlon, a retired New York State Supreme Court attorney, orchestrated by senior NYPD officials to intimidate Donlon after his whistleblowing.

She was handcuffed, searched, and told she would be sent to central booking, according to Donlon. Following her arrest, he claims personal information about the couple was leaked to the press by the NYPD.

“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.

Alleged ‘predicate acts’ committed

Donlon accuses the named officials of multiple federal crimes as predicate acts under RICO, including wire fraud, mail fraud, obstruction of justice, honest services fraud, and witness retaliation.

He claims these actions formed part of a deliberate and ongoing criminal conspiracy directed from both City Hall and NYPD headquarters.

The lawsuit also details a broader culture of corruption, alleging that Adams’s administration systematically protected NYPD executives with histories of misconduct, including allegations of violence, dishonesty, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority, while sidelining those who spoke out.

Promotions, overtime, and key assignments were allegedly distributed as political rewards or used to silence dissent.

Donlon also claims that, beyond professional retaliation, Adams and NYPD leadership undermined the integrity of law enforcement and public safety.

Donlon stepped in to serve as interim Police Commissioner in September 2024 following Edward Caban’s resignation amid a federal corruption investigation into the department that involved his brother.

Tisch took over the role from Donlon some two months later, becoming Mayor Adams’ fourth police commissioner during his first term.

The lawsuit claims that Donlon was relieved of his duties as Police Commissioner less than three weeks following his last reporting directly to Adams about “the criminal acts” of Sheppard and the failure of Maddrey, Chell, and Daughtry to take corrective action.

After his removal as interim commissioner in November 2024, Donlon says he was reassigned as a senior advisor on public safety before being abruptly terminated in May of this year.

The lawsuit alleges his firing was part of a broader pattern of retaliation and an effort to erase his influence from city government.

Donlon also alleges emotional and reputational harm, financial loss, and the destruction of his law enforcement career.

The lawsuit seeks damages and the appointment of a federal monitor to oversee NYPD disciplinary practices, whistleblower protections, and promotion processes.

Donlon’s attorneys argue the alleged conduct represents a systemic abuse of power that continues to threaten institutional integrity and public trust in New York City.

Donlon’s lawsuit follows the bombshell lawsuits filed last week by four former NYPD chiefs who claimed 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.

As President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, I regularly interact with all levels of government and have built relationships with many elected officials over my 30-year career. I’ve observed both exemplary public servants and others who have unfortunately lost their standing.

I am also the face of a disenfranchised voter, one of the 1.1 million voters who have chosen to register as “unaffiliated.” In fact, unaffiliated voters make up the second-largest voting bloc in New York City after registered Democrats.

This upcoming citywide election in November, we have a chance to end voter disenfranchisement and double down on more democracy, as most big cities across the country have already done. We have a chance to vote for open primaries and usher in the single most important voter reform in NYC history.

We will only get this chance if the NYC Charter Review Commission, a mayoral-appointed commission that reviews potential changes to the City’s governing charter, advances this recommendation to the ballot box.

Open primaries will strengthen democracy by allowing the 1.1 million unaffiliated voters to participate in the primary process. We already have open primaries; they are called “special elections,” and they occur when a vacancy in an elected office occurs prior to an election cycle.

Open primaries can take many forms, but essentially they allow for any registered voter to vote in a primary, leading to the selection of a select number of final candidates advancing to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. Open primaries will not only lead to greater voter participation overall, but general elections in NYC will now actually matter because they will be competitive.

It’s worth noting that 24 of the 30 largest cities in America have open primaries. And the results have been exceptional, increasing voter participation and expanding choices. Over time, open primaries can also lead to encouraging more people to step up and run for office, given that the playing field will be more equal and not controlled by party systems and insiders.

In fact, combined with ranked choice voting and public financing of campaigns, NYC has the potential to once again lead the nation in expanding democracy and voter rights.

In its recent interim report, the Commission declined to commit to advancing open primaries, citing unrelated concerns about ranked choice voting and contentious election cycles. This stance is questionable given that most public testimony at the many hearings favored open primaries.

While the Commission did commit to housing and land use recommendations, it remains unclear why the most requested reform may be excluded.

As we see an unraveling of democratic institutions on a national level, now is the time to act decisively in defense of more democracy, not less. I urge the Charter Commission to include the open primaries recommendation on the ballot this year.

Randy Peers is President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the largest Chamber of Commerce in New York State. He is also a registered “unaffiliated” voter.