Judge dismisses racketeering lawsuit by former interim NYPD commissioner
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a racketeering lawsuit filed by former interim New York City police commissioner Thomas Donlon that accused the department under former Mayor Eric Adams of “systemic corruption” and operating as a “criminal enterprise,” court records show.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote ruled that the alleged misconduct did not meet the legal definition of racketeering because the lawsuit did not describe the defendants acting with “a common purpose,” the decision said.
Donlon, a longtime FBI official whom Adams appointed to stabilize the department, filed the suit in July alleging he witnessed “systemic corruption and criminal conduct” he said was enabled by Adams and his allies, including inflated overtime, blocked internal investigations and retaliation against whistleblowers, according to the complaint.
A spokesperson for the city’s Law Department told The Associated Press the city was “pleased the court agreed there was no legal basis for this case to continue.” Donlon’s attorney, John Scola, told The Associated Press his client had already appealed the ruling. “Mr. Donlon confronted corruption within the NYPD’s highest ranks and was forced out for refusing to engage in illegal conduct,” Scola said. “We are confident the Second Circuit will allow his claims to proceed.”
Donlon was appointed after the September 2024 resignation of former Police Commissioner Edward Caban, whose phone was seized by federal officials as part of a criminal corruption investigation into the then-mayor and his administration. Donlon served as interim commissioner for about two months before being replaced by Jessica Tisch, who remains commissioner under the city’s current mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Donlon’s suit was one of several complaints from veteran police officials alleging corruption and cronyism during Adams’ administration, and federal prosecutors have brought bribery cases against former police officials who served under Adams.
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