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5 claims in former NYPD commissioner’s lawsuit that seem straight out of a soap opera
By
Samantha Max
Published Jul 16, 2025
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Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
By
Samantha Max
Published Jul 16, 2025
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A near-assault during a photo op. “Spies” assigned to monitor the NYPD commissioner. The illegal arrest of the then-ousted commissioner’s wife after a minor fender bender.
These are just a few of the bombshell allegations in a 251-page lawsuit former NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon filed Wednesday, accusing Mayor Eric Adams and high-ranking police officials of using the police department to cover up a criminal enterprise. The mayor’s office called Donlon a “disgruntled former employee” and said he was lodging “baseless accusations” to seek compensation. Donlon said in a statement that the lawsuit “is a statement against a corrupt system that betrays the public, silences truth and punishes integrity.”
The lengthy legal complaint is chock-full of alleged details from Donlon’s brief tenure leading the NYPD and its aftermath. Here are five particularly dramatic claims:
NYPD spokesperson fraudulently promotes himself
Donlon accuses Tarik Sheppard, then a spokesperson for the NYPD, of usurping the promotion process to elevate his own rank in the department. The lawsuit alleges that Sheppard and others removed Donlon’s picks from a list of officers to be promoted and replaced them with their own favorites. Sheppard then promoted himself to the rank of three-star chief and used Donlon’s signature stamp on a promotion memo without his permission, the suit says.
Donlon said he reported the incident to the mayor, who refused to punish Sheppard. He said Sheppard banded together with other top brass to undermine his authority.
Fighting for face time at NYC marathon photo op
The tension between Sheppard and Donlon publicly boiled over at the finish line of the New York City marathon last fall.
Photo from the race from the official X account of NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella. Circled in red are then-Commissioner Tom Donlon (left) and then-Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Tarik Sheppard.
Official X account of NYPD First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella.
Donlon said he and other department leaders were posing for a photo with the NYPD Road Runners club, and the only place to stand was next to Sheppard. Donlon “politely” asked him to move over so he could fit, and Sheppard refused, the lawsuit states.
After the photo was taken, Sheppard started to shout that Donlon had grabbed his arm, according to court papers. He then lunged toward Donlon and yelled, “I will f—ing kill you,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit describes then-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey physically restraining Sheppard to prevent an assault. Donlon’s daughter was nearby and started to cry. She and Donlon’s wife have feared for his safety since, the suit states.
‘Spies’ assigned to monitor Donlan
Donlon alleges that Maddrey and other NYPD leaders in Adams’ inner circle tried to sabotage him, because they resented that he’d been appointed commissioner. The lawsuit accused Maddrey of deploying “spies” to monitor Donlon and feed him information.
Donlon said Maddrey assigned an ally who had recently retired amid an overtime scandal to work in Donlon’s office and “funnel information on Donlon’s daily activities.” The inspector spent so much time with Donlon that many referred to him as the commissioner’s “shadow,” according to court papers.
“It was quite sad, and in many ways comical, that the NYPD dedicated an inspector full time to follow Donlon during the course of his entire day and obviously report back to Defendant Maddrey, and, of course, Defendant Adams,” the lawsuit states.
A sergeant secretly monitored him and shared his calendar and other internal information with Maddrey, the legal complaint claims.
Evidence in barrels and paper bags
After Donlon was appointed, he asked Maddrey to submit a report on a fire that destroyed evidence at an NYPD warehouse in 2022, according to the lawsuit. Donlon said Maddrey never delivered the report, and he decided to inspect the department’s warehouses himself.
When Donlon visited the Erie Basin warehouse in Red Hook, he found evidence in cardboard boxes and paper barrels without proper labels, according to the lawsuit. During his warehouse visits, Donlon also learned the department didn’t have a functional tracking system to find evidence for police or prosecutors, court papers say.
“Donlon saw no effort to protect the invaluable work of hard-working NYPD investigators nor evidence which might exonerate the innocent,” the lawsuit states.
The commissioner “demanded immediate action,” but NYPD leadership did little more than order a few metal containers, according to the legal complaint.
“This silence and inaction are proof of ongoing incompetence, apathy and a profound leadership crisis within the NYPD,” the lawsuit says.
Donlon’s wife arrested after getting rear-ended
About a month after Donlon was replaced in 2024, his wife, Deirdre O’Connor-Donlon, was driving in Midtown East when she got rear-ended and bumped an Uber in front of her, the lawsuit states. The passenger called 911, and police responded, according to court papers.
Donlon’s wife couldn’t find her registration or insurance, and she also learned that her license had been suspended, the lawsuit says. The former commissioner met her at the scene, the legal complaint states, but he left after his wife assured him that everything was fine. The lawsuit says that the officers at the scene were friendly, but that a sergeant’s demeanor “drastically” changed after receiving a phone call. The sergeant began to “badger her with questions in a hostile manner” and then shouted at the officers to “cuff her,” the lawsuit states.
Police took Donlon to the precinct and chained her to a metal bench “like a common criminal,” the lawsuit states. She was released after a couple of hours and later learned her license had unknowingly been suspended after her stepson traded in a vehicle previously registered in her name, according to court papers. She resolved the issue at the Department of Motor Vehicles the next day, the lawsuit says.
Donlon accused Sheppard, Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry and Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters Michael Gerber of orchestrating a false arrest against his wife.
Tagged
Politics
new york city
public safety
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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