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What happened to the federal investigations into Mayor Adams’ inner circle?
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jul 23, 2025
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Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jul 23, 2025
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The criminal investigations of former senior members of the Adams administration appear to be on hold as the fallout from the dismissal of the mayor's corruption charges continues, according to legal experts and attorneys involved in the cases.
The speculation comes as a series of civil lawsuits revive allegations of corruption at the highest levels of the NYPD and City Hall. Such cases can serve as a roadmap for criminal investigations, similar to how the civil lawsuit against music mogul Sean Combs triggered federal charges.
There appears to have been no recent movement in the investigations of former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and two high-ranking Adams aides with ties to the police department, Tim Pearson and Phil Banks. They were among at least eight top Adams officials who resigned after federal agents seized their phones.
A judge tossed bribery and campaign finance charges against Mayor Eric Adams in April at the request of Department of Justice officials. Now, legal experts and attorneys are concerned that those officials could also get a pass. Their growing alarm comes as the once-vaunted Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office is mired in dysfunction amid resignations and firings.
All of the officials have denied any wrongdoing.
Columbia University law professor Jeffrey Fagan said the dropped charges against Adams sent a clear message about how Trump administration officials view the related investigations into the mayor’s allies.
“There’s no reason to move ahead with those other prosecutions because there’s nothing to be gained from it. They want Adams to be in office” to cooperate with immigration enforcement, Fagan said.
Former Commissioner Tom Donlon alleged in a lawsuit that Mayor Adams ran a racketeering scheme through City Hall.
Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office
Four ex-police chiefs alleged in lawsuits this month that Adams enabled a culture of cronyism at the department. James Essig, a 40-year-veteran and former chief of detectives, wrote in his suit that Caban was under federal investigation for selling high-ranking promotions to unqualified officers for as much as $15,000. Former NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon, who succeeded Caban, has filed a separate suit alleging Adams oversaw a racketeering scheme through the department that rewarded allies and punished enemies.
Donlon alleged that Pearson, a former NYPD officer and Adams adviser, was among the officials who hijacked the department’s promotions process.
Hugh Mo, a lawyer for Pearson, said the federal investigation of his client – and everyone else in the administration – appeared to be paused.
"Everything is on hold after the mayor’s case was dismissed. Not just Tim Pearson, all those people under investigation," Mo told Gothamist.
Mo said he has not recently heard of any witnesses being brought before a grand jury.
He attributed the lack of activity to “political considerations” tied to the dismissal of the mayor’s corruption indictment at the direction of Trump’s Department of Justice.
Mo also referred to the investigations of his client and other Adams allies as “politically driven.” Attorneys for Caban and Banks did not respond to a request for comment.
The sprawling investigations involved Pearson and the Banks brothers’ — Phil and former city Schools Chancellor David Banks — oversight of city contracts, including those associated with schools and migrant shelters. FBI agents also seized phones from Caban’s brother, James Caban, an ex-NYPD officer who worked in the nightlife industry.
Federal investigators have not taken any publicly known steps related to those cases since Trump was sworn in.
David Banks told CBS New York in a recent interview that the investigation was “in his rearview mirror” and that he had “not heard another word” since federal agents took his phone.
According to Donlon’s lawsuit, Phil Banks allegedly lobbied the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau for “a pass” on his investigation after Trump won a second term in November. The mayor “is getting a pass, what about me?” Banks allegedly said.
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks was among the administration officials eyed in a federal probe.
Sari Avila-Franklin/ Mayoral Photography Office
Adams, who is running for reelection, has called his federal indictment politically motivated and denied wrongdoing. He has described Donlon and the high-ranking ex-officers as disgruntled former employees making baseless allegations. He also questioned Donlon’s mental acuity, prompting the former commissioner on Monday to file a $10 million notice of claim alleging defamation.
Lawyers representing the former NYPD brass expressed outrage at the notion that investigations into Adams’ allies might be dead in the water.
“The idea that NYPD corruption cases will quietly die because the targets are friends with Mayor Adams is a disgrace,” said John Scola, a lawyer for Donlon. “If the federal government won’t intervene, then Attorney General Letitia James must step in and take control — because justice cannot be outsourced to political loyalty.”
A spokesperson for James did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sarena Townsend, who represents Essig and the three other ex-police chiefs, said she’s concerned about what is happening within the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office that was overseeing the investigations.
“What’s happening is everybody has a sneaking suspicion that things could be corrupt behind closed doors,” Townsend said.
The Southern District of New York has recently been described as in chaos.
Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the Southern District, declined to comment on the status of the investigations.
Fagan cautioned against declaring the probes into former Adams officials as dead in the water. He noted that seizing phones requires a judge signing off on search warrants presenting evidence that a crime may have been committed.
“These are potential criminal cases,” Fagan said. “You don’t seize people’s phones idly.”
Tagged
Politics
new york city
public safety
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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