Ex-NYPD commissioner sues NYC mayor, alleging he ran police department as a 'criminal enterprise'
In a lawsuit filed in federal court, the ex-commissioner, Thomas Donlon, accused Adams and his inner circle of operating the nation's largest police department as a 'criminal enterprise."
Their alleged corruption triggered a 'massive, unlawful transfer of public wealth,' the suit states, through unearned salary increases, overtime payments, pension enhancement and other benefits.
At times, top officials forged internal documents to promote politically connected officers or those whose silence they were seeking, according to the lawsuit.
With Adams' approval, his cadre of hand-picked police leaders also sought to obstruct internal investigations, while targeting dissenters with leaks through the press, the suit alleges.
Inquiries to the New York City Police Department and City Hall were not immediately returned.
'This lawsuit is not a personal grievance,' Donlon said in a statement. 'It is a statement against a corrupt system that betrays the public, silences truth, and punishes integrity.'
Donlon, a career FBI official who had not previously worked in the NYPD, was brought in as interim commissioner last September to stabilize a department shaken by federal investigations.
His predecessor, Edward Caban, stepped down after federal authorities seized his electronic devices as part of an investigation that also involved his brother, a former police officer, along with several other high-ranking police officials. Caban has denied wrongdoing and not been criminally charged.
Donlon had spent decades working on terrorism cases, including the investigation into the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and was a top counterterrorism official for the FBI's New York office. He also led New York state's Office of Homeland Security before going into the private sector security industry.
But about a week into his tenure, federal authorities searched Donlon's homes and seized decades old materials that he said at the time were unrelated to his work with the NYPD.
Donlon lasted about two months on the job before current police Commissioner Jessica Tisch took over, pledging to restore trust to the department.
But as he seeks reelection, Adams faces renewed scrutiny over his management of the police force.
Last week, four other former high-ranking New York City police officials filed separate lawsuits against Adams and his top deputies, alleging a culture of rampant corruption and bribes that preceded Donlon's appointment.
In response to that suit, a spokesperson for Adams said the administration 'holds all city employees — including leadership at the NYPD — to the highest standards.'
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Kimmel, I am the martyr. There's only room for one on this cross. And the view is fantastic from up here. I can see your house!' He also said that cancellation meant he could finally admit what he felt about the president. In contrast to his often over-the-top anti-Trump monologues, he dryly, quietly said: 'I don't care for him. Doesn't seem to have the skill set to be president. Just not a good fit, that's all.' He addressed his bosses at CBS - who he said 'have always been great partners' - before talking about Paramount's decision to cancel the show which he took over from David Letterman in 2015. 'How could it be a purely financial decision if The Late Show's is number one in ratings? A lot of folks are asking that question, mainly my staff's parents and spouses.' 'I could see us losing $24 million but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million, oh...' he quipped, naming the amount the company settled with Trump for over his 60 Minutes lawsuit. He went back to bashing Trump and the recent news accusing him of writing a 'bawdy' letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. 'I'll have more to say about all this after the commercial break. The only other story is a small one... the president is buddies with a pedophile.' Puck journalist Matthew Belloni revealed Colbert's 'lack of profitability ' Friday, hours after CNN first broke the news that the show was canceled because it was in the red. Belloni outlined how The Late Show - whose cancellation was announced last Thursday - costs $100m a year to produce, with Colbert, 61, getting paid between $15 million and $20 million a year to host. Colbert beats ABC and NBC rivals Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon in the ratings, but that still wasn't enough to save him. Late night shows have slumped in profitability in recent years as viewers shun the format in favor of streaming services or watching content on their phones. Advertiser revenue has slumped sharply even in the last three years, Puck reported, making it harder to pull Colbert's show out of the red. Colbert was reported to be 'not angry, actually' about his cancellation and was chatting with his staff in a 'matter-of-fact' way before Thursday's show, Puck reported. Colbert, who will broadcast his final show in May 2026, was first informed his show was on the chopping block around July 4, it is claimed. Paramount Co-CEO George Cheeks made the decision, Puck reported. He then went on vacation, giving bosses at CBS time to plot behind his back, CNN reported. He moved to share it as quickly as possible so that his staff would not learn of their impending unemployment via leaks to the press. All three major late night hosts - Colbert, Kimmel and Fallon - have become notorious for their regular rants about President Trump, which many viewers have complained are boring and off-putting. But Belloni said he didn't believe the famously anti-MAGA Colbert was axed to appease Donald Trump, who recently won a $15 million payout from CBS after suing them over a 60 Minutes interview with Harris he said was deceptively edited. The axing of Colbert has delighted Trump, who posted about it on his TruthSocial network earlier today. Colbert's ouster could also make it easier for CBS parent company Paramount's efforts to merge with media company Skydance in a deal that must be approved by Trump's Federal Communications Commission. The Late Show launched in 1993 under David Letterman to compete with longtime late night juggernaut The Tonight Show. Colbert took over from Letterman in 2015 after his retirement. More than three decades later, CBS's entry into the late night sphere sits at the top, with second-best Jimmy Kimmel Live! raking in an average of 1.772 million viewers. Colbert, by comparison, collects an average of 2.417 million. Colbert - who once played a conservative character on Comedy Central's satirical late night program The Colbert Report - often aired jokes at the conservative's expense. Trump celebrated the news of the show's cancellation as a result. 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,' he wrote in a Friday Truth Social post. 'I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert,' he added, before talking up right-wing Fox News star Greg Gutfeld. '[He's] better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show,' Trump added, referring to Jimmy Fallon.
