Latest news with #Maddrey
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Yahoo
NYPD wants to claw back $200K in OT from cop who claims disgraced Chief Jeffrey Maddrey ‘coerced' her into sex
The NYPD is trying to claw back more than $200,000 in overtime paid to the female lieutenant who alleged the OT cash was used by disgraced ex-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey to coerce her to perform sexual acts, The Post has learned. Lt. Quathisha Epps, a 19-year-vet who retired in December after The Post uncovered the scandal, was the department's highest paid cop last year. 'She was paid for work she did not do,' a police source said. 'She has received notice that she owes this money.' Epps called the NYPD demand that she pay back $231,890.75 retaliation for her blowing the whistle on the department's No. 2 cop. 'I will not be silenced,' she said. 'This isn't just my fight — it's the fight of every woman who dared to speak up and was punished for it. If the department — or anyone – believes they can erase what happened by attacking me, they've gravely underestimated the power of truth.' The demand was a result of an NYPD investigation into the overtime and involved Epps' direct supervisor, former Deputy Chief Paul Saraceno, who was fired last month, sources said. Saraceno was Maddrey's second in command and allegedly signed off on Epps' overtime retroactively, the sources said. Epps' lawyer, Eric Sanders, said the letter Epps received from the NYPD included no evidence that she didn't work the hours she claimed to work. 'The overtime issue is a red herring—manufactured to distract from the real legal and moral crisis inside the NYPD,' Sanders said. 'Under New York labor law, the burden is on the employer to maintain accurate records, not the employee.' The Post revealed in November that Epps pulled in $403,515 in fiscal year 2024, including $204,453.48 in overtime pay on top of her base salary of $164,477, according to city payroll records. 'This kind of a gross abuse is a slap in the face to the hardworking men and women of the NYPD who are actually out on the streets putting their lives on the line every day,' the NYPD source said. 'Finally, someone is cracking down on this incredible and illegal greed.' On Dec. 20, Epps, who was an administrator in Maddrey's office at One Police Plaza, told The Post that the chief paid her the dough to 'coerce' her to have sex with him in his office at NYPD headquarters. Sanders, a former cop, filed a federal Equal Employment Opportunity complaint against Maddrey on Epps' behalf the next day. Maddrey resigned the day The Post story went online Dec. 21. A week later, he held a press conference in Manhattan where his lawyer told reporters that the relationship with Epps was consensual. He also accused Epps of going after his client because of the investigation into her overtime. Maddrey didn't take questions. While the NYPD goes after Epps, Maddrey is expected to pull down an annual pension worth around $259,000. When Epps reaches her 20th anniversary this summer, she will receive a pension of less than half the pay of a lieutenant — under $50,000, police sources said. She will also miss out on the variable supplement of about $12,000 per year. In the wake of the scandal, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch made department-wide changes, including replacing the head of the storied Internal Affairs Bureau and transferring officials at Police HQ to other precincts and divisions. Maddrey's home was raided on Jan. 2 by agents with the U.S. Department of Justice, which opened an investigation after news of the imbroglio broke. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office also said it was launching a probe but later said it dropped the case. The DOJ has refused to comment on the status of its review. One retired NYPD officer who worked with sex assault victims said the NYPD demand for repayment from an alleged victim is misguided — especially since her accused harasser, Maddrey, was allowed to retire with a full pension. 'If you listen to her, she says she asked him to stop when he had sex with her in his office,' the ex-officer said. 'She's asserting criminal misconduct.' The NYPD did not return a request for comment. Additional reporting by Larry Celona.
New York Post
03-05-2025
- New York Post
NYPD wants massive overtime pay back after Jeffrey Maddrey sex scandal
The NYPD is trying to claw back more than $200,000 in overtime paid to the female lieutenant who alleged the OT cash was used by disgraced ex-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey to coerce her to perform sexual acts, The Post has learned. Lt. Quathisha Epps, a 19-year-vet who retired in December after The Post uncovered the scandal, was the department's highest paid cop last year. 'She was paid for work she did not do,' a police source said. 'She has received notice that she owes this money.' Advertisement 4 Former NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, who was the NYPD's No. 1 uniformed cop, abruptly resigned after The Post reported that he allegedly used overtime to 'coerce' an underling to perform sexual favors. Brigitte Stelzer Epps called the NYPD demand that she pay back $231,890.75 retaliation for her blowing the whistle on the department's No. 2 cop. 'I will not be silenced,' she said. 'This isn't just my fight — it's the fight of every woman who dared to speak up and was punished for it. If the department — or anyone – believes they can erase what happened by attacking me, they've gravely underestimated the power of truth.' Advertisement The demand was a result of an NYPD investigation into the overtime and involved Epps' direct supervisor, former Deputy Chief Paul Saraceno, who was fired last month, sources said. Saraceno was Maddrey's second in command and allegedly signed off on Epps' overtime retroactively, the sources said. Epps' lawyer, Eric Sanders, said the letter Epps received from the NYPD included no evidence that she didn't work the hours she claimed to work. 4 NYPD top earner, ex-Lieutenant Quathisha Epps, filed a federal EEOC complaint against Maddrey. NYPD 'The overtime issue is a red herring—manufactured to distract from the real legal and moral crisis inside the NYPD,' Sanders said. 'Under New York labor law, the burden is on the employer to maintain accurate records, not the employee.' Advertisement The Post revealed in November that Epps pulled in $403,515 in fiscal year 2024, including $204,453.48 in overtime pay on top of her base salary of $164,477, according to city payroll records. 4 Epps told The Post she had sex with Maddrey in his office multiple times and asked him to stop during their first encounter. LP Media On Dec. 20, Epps, who was an administrator in Maddrey's office at One Police Plaza, told The Post that the chief paid her the dough to 'coerce' her to have sex with him in his office at NYPD headquarters. Sanders, a former cop, filed a federal Equal Employment Opportunity complaint against Maddrey on Epps' behalf the next day. Advertisement Maddrey resigned the day The Post story went online Dec. 21. A week later, he held a press conference in Manhattan where his lawyer told reporters that the relationship with Epps was consensual. He also accused Epps of going after his client because of the investigtion into her overtime. Maddrey didn't take questions. While the NYPD goes after Epps, Maddrey is expected to pull down an annual pension worth around $259,000. When Epps reaches her 20th anniversary this summer, she will receive a pension of less than half the pay of a lieutenant — under $50,000, police sources said. She will also miss out on the variable supplement of about $12,000 per year. 4 Deputy Chief Paul Saraceno was fired by the NYPD over allegations that he approved bogus overtime slips. In the wake of the scandal, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch made department-wide changes, including replacing the head of the storied Internal Affairs Bureau and transferring officials at Police HQ to other precincts and divisions. Maddrey's home was raided on Jan. 2 by agents with the U.S. Department of Justice, which opened an investigation after news of the imbroglio broke. The Manhattan District Attorneys Office also said it was launching a probe but later said it dropped the case. The DOJ has refused to comment on the status of its review. One retired NYPD officer who worked with sex assault victims said the NYPD demand for repayment from an alleged victim is misguided — especially since her accused harrasser, Maddrey, was allowed to retire with a full pension. 'If you listen to her, she says she asked him to stop when he had sex with her in his office,' the ex-officer said. 'She's asserting criminal misconduct.' Advertisement The NYPD did not return a request for comment. Additional reporting by Larry Celona.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
Retired NYPD Lt. Quathisha Epps files complaint over leaked nude videos amid sex for OT scandal
The retired NYPD lieutenant who has accused former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey of coercing her into sex filed a complaint with Internal Affairs Monday over two leaked nude videos of her that are circulating on messaging apps, her lawyer said. Lt. Quathisha Epps is shirtless in one video, which is 22 seconds long. 'Jeffrey, oh Mr. Maddrey,' she says in the video and makes a comment about a sexual act. The second video is one minute and 41 seconds long. She is fully nude at what appears to be a beach resort. There are voices in the background and a palm tree over her head. 'Earlier today, we became aware that coerced and unauthorized nude videos and images of Ms. Epps — shared with her abuser under duress — are being circulated via WhatsApp and other messaging platforms used by NYPD personnel,' said Epps' lawyer Eric Sanders. 'As instructed, Ms. Epps promptly reported this matter to the IAB Command Center: IAB Log Number 2025-7405.' The videos emerged hours before an interview with Epps about her alleged ordeal with Maddrey was expected to be aired on WABC-TV Eyewitness News Monday night. Sanders alleged 'third parties including attorneys, agents, or other representatives of the alleged abuser' may be 'assisting in the potential misuse' of the videos. Maddrey's lawyer Lambros Lambrou said he has been aware of the existence of the videos since Dec. 27, when Maddrey held a press conference to admit an affair with Epps but deny any wrongdoing, including exchanging overtime pay for sex. It's our belief those were sent by Lt. Epps of her own volition,' said Lambrou, who challenged the notion the videos were in any way coerced. 'I think the videos speak for themselves.' Lambrou said the videos were on Maddrey's phones, but his phones were seized by the FBI on Jan. 2. 'When they were sent to him was probably late 2023, but there's no way to verify that because the videos and the phone are with the FBI,' Lambrou said. Lambrou added, 'I don't know how those videos got out. I wouldn't be surprised if Sanders and or his client circulated them in order to make an IAB complaint.' Sanders called Lambrou's accusation, 'Sad.' Sanders wrote in the release on his website that 'confidential sources' had identified a cop who may be the source of the videos. He did not identify the officer. 'Through confidential sources, we have identified an NYPD officer using a cellular number registered with an online application linked to these unauthorized disclosures,' Sanders wrote. 'This officer's profile, phone number, and related WhatsApp posts have been submitted to IAB for confirmation.' Epps first came into the public eye when the Daily News and New York Post reported she made a total of $400,000 including overtime in fiscal 2024. The NYPD under Maddrey then opened an investigation and suspended her. Epps then filed a discrimination complaint against Maddrey alleging he coerced her into sex. She subsequently retired. Maddrey resigned Dec. 22 after the scandal went public. Sanders alleged Epps was also coerced into sending the videos along with nude pictures and 'engaging in sexual discussions with her abuser.' 'Make no mistake — these violations will not deter Ms. Epps from pursuing every available legal avenue to hold her abuser and his enablers fully accountable,' Sanders wrote. Andrew Stengel, a civil attorney and former ADA in Manhattan said the people recirculating the video could be charged and/or sued. 'Anyone who publishes or disseminates that video is potentially criminally and civilly liable under revenge porn statutes,' he said. 'When two people are engaging in some sort of private affair, there's an expectation of privacy. It's implicit when you make that type of video that it's going to remain private.'
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
Retired NYPD lieutenant files complaint over leaked nude videos amid sex-for-OT scandal
NEW YORK — The retired NYPD lieutenant who has accused former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey of coercing her into sex filed a complaint with Internal Affairs Monday over two leaked nude videos of her that are circulating on messaging apps, her lawyer said. One of the leaked videos show former Lt. Quathisha Epps without a shirt on. She says Maddrey's full name and makes a comment about a sexual act. In the second, she is fully nude at what appears to be a beach resort. 'Earlier today, we became aware that coerced and unauthorized nude videos and images of Ms. Epps — shared with her abuser under duress — are being circulated via WhatsApp and other messaging platforms used by NYPD personnel,' said Epps' lawyer Eric Sanders 'As instructed, Ms. Epps promptly reported this matter to the IAB Command Center: IAB Log Number 2025-7405.' The videos emerged hours before an interview with Epps about her alleged ordeal with Maddrey was expected to be aired on ABC News Monday night. Sanders wrote that 'confidential sources' had identified a cop who may be the source of the videos. He did not identify the officer. 'Through confidential sources, we have identified an NYPD officer using a cellular number registered with an online application linked to these unauthorized disclosures,' Sanders wrote. 'This officer's profile, phone number, and related WhatsApp posts have been submitted to IAB for confirmation.' Epps first came into the public eye when the Daily News and New York Post reported she made a total of $400,000 including overtime in fiscal 2024. The NYPD under Maddrey then opened an investigation and suspended her. Epps then filed a discrimination complaint against Maddrey alleging he coerced her into sex. She subsequently retired. Maddrey resigned after the scandal went public. Sanders alleged Epps was also coerced into sending the nude videos along with nude pictures and 'engaging in sexual discussions with her abuser.' 'Make no mistake — these violations will not deter Ms. Epps from pursuing every available legal avenue to hold her abuser and his enablers fully accountable,' Sanders wrote.
