Federal raid on interim NYPD commissioner just days after taking office suggests ‘open season on Adams’

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Federal raid on interim NYPD commissioner just days after taking office suggests ‘open season on Adams’

By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh

Just days after taking office, the home of New York City’s new interim police chief was ransacked, raising questions about the nature of the investigation into Mayor Eric Adams’ officials, the NY Post reported.

On Saturday night, interim Commissioner Thomas Donlon said in a statement that federal authorities had confiscated “materials that came into my possession 20 years ago and have nothing to do with my work with the New York City Police Department.” Just a week earlier, former Police Chief Edward Caban had resigned after federal investigators searched his home, along with other close allies and members of the Adams administration. According to the Post, sources said agents were looking for classified documents that Donlon may have taken home during his years at the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

That explanation, however, appears to have holes in it, leaving law enforcement officials wondering what’s going on. “The same federal agencies that ‘recommended’ Donlon to Adams also executed the warrant — less than a week after Donlon was appointed — to search his home for 20-year-old documents,” a source told the Post, noting that New York Southern District Commissioner Damian Williams had supported Mayor Adams’ pick for commissioner before the announcement. The source added that Donlon “clearly angered the wrong people at the FBI,” leading investigators to “throw another grenade in Adams’ lap and pull the (pin).” “Donlon was collateral damage,” the source said. “I can hear the agents laughing as they torture the mayor,” the source added. “It’s open season on Adams at the SDNY and FBI.”

On Sept. 12, Adams named Donlon, an NYPD outsider, as the city’s interim commissioner, while Caban abruptly resigned. Federal agents had seized Caban’s electronic devices as part of a wide-ranging “corruption investigation” into possible influence peddling. The raid also targeted First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, Schools Chancellor David Banks and their brother Terence Banks, as well as former NYPD officer Tim Pearson. None have been charged with any crimes, and it’s not yet clear whether the investigations are even related, the Post reported.

When Donlon was tapped for the commish job, he was retired from federal service and ran a private security firm. His appointment as New York’s top police officer brought him back into the public eye. On Sunday, Donlon declined to answer The Post’s questions about the raid.

According to the Post, some sources claimed the raid was simply part of a re-clearance screening process, rather than a criminal charge. Others, however, say it was the federal government’s way of showing Adams that no one around him is safe. “They don’t search your house when they do a security clearance,” said Joseph Pistone, the legendary FBI agent also known as “Donnie Brasco” who infiltrated the Mafia in the 1970s and ’80s. “If I were to do a background check on Tom, I would say he’s a straight-talker and a country lover,” Pistone said. “I’m flabbergasted. He’s been out of the agency for 15 years, and you look at all the positions he’s held,” he continued. “I can’t say enough good things about the man.” “And now he gets appointed police chief, and a week later his house is searched,” Pistone added. “I have no idea why they would search your house. It’s crazy.”

Mark Carroll, a former assistant district attorney and retired FBI agent, also weighed in, calling Donlon an “upstanding member of the law enforcement community.” “That doesn’t make sense,” Carroll said. “I don’t have a good way to explain it.” “I would be absolutely surprised if he did anything wrong,” he said of Donlon.

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