Four former NYPD chiefs claim in separate lawsuits filed Monday that top department leaders close to Mayor Eric Adams forced them out after they complained about promotions and plum assignments being awarded to unqualified associates or called attention to other potential misconduct.
They say the retaliation against them violated civil service protections and are seeking damages for their financial losses.
Among the allegations contained in the lawsuits filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by former NYPD chiefs Matthew Pontillo and James Essig and former assistant chiefs Joseph Veneziano and Christopher McCormack are that top department officials placed unqualified or unvetted detectives in the Criminal Task Force Division, which conducts major investigations alongside federal law enforcement entities.
McCormack, who oversaw the Criminal Task Force Division, alleges in his lawsuit that about a dozen such associates of top leaders were placed in the unit over his objections — prompting complaints not just from him, but also from the federal law enforcement partners.
Essig, who resigned as Chief of Detectives in September 2023, says in his lawsuit that he observed an “unusually high number of unvetted detectives” transferred into the Special Victims Unit, which investigates sex crimes.
His lawsuit also alleges that former NYPD Police Commissioner Edward Caban “was selling promotions in exchange for up to $15,000,” although the court filing provides no corroborating details or...
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