New York City’s police commissioner found himself on the wrong side of a law enforcement raid this week.
Multiple reports said Edward Caban, the NYPD’s top official, had his home in Harlem raided and his cell phone seized by the FBI on Wednesday as part of a “corruption probe.”
Details on what Caban’s accused of—if anything at all—remained scant on Thursday afternoon, but sources told local news channel PIX 11 that the probe into Caban is separate from an investigation into Mayor Eric Adams’ alleged campaign financing oddities.
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The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for information sent by the Daily Beast. The NYPD released a statement on the matter but didn’t divulge any meaningful details about what was taking place.
“The Department is aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York involving members of service,” the statement read. “The Department is fully cooperating in the investigation.”
Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Edward Caban appear together for press events reguarly. Since last November, they’ve now both had their cell phones seized by the FBI.
Brendan McDermid/ReutersThe New York Post reported that other city officials caught up in FBI raids this week included deputy mayors Phil Banks and Sheena Wright. The top Adams aide Timothy Pearson also reportedly had his phone subpoenaed.
It’s not the first time Banks has been investigated by the feds. He was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a corruption probe in 2014 but was never charged. The scandal seemingly thwarted his career in law enforcement—he resigned as chief of the NYPD, the highest ranking uniformed position, shortly after news of his involvement in the investigation broke.
Terence Banks, a former New York transit official who’s now a lobbyist, was also targeted by federal investigators this week, the Post reported. Caban’s chief of staff, Raul Pintos, and two NYPD precinct commanders in Queens and Manhattan also had to turn over their phones, sources told PIX 11.
It’s the latest headache for New York City officials with Adams at the helm. The mayor himself had his phone and laptop seized by the feds in November—on the same day his former campaign treasurer, Brianna Suggs, had her house raided by the FBI.
Those actions were reportedly tied to a campaign financing probe regarding Adams’ election win in 2021, and his potentially shady ties to the Turkish government. He and others in city hall were slapped with grand jury subpoenas in July that sought information about the mayor’s schedule, his overseas travel, and potential connections to Turkish officials, a source told The Daily Mail.
