Federal agents searched the home Thursday morning of Jeffrey Maddrey, the former chief of department for the New York Police Department, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Mr. Maddrey, who resigned on Dec. 20 after a lieutenant accused him of coercing her into sex, is also being investigated by the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau, which is working with law enforcement authorities in its inquiry, Commissioner Tisch said in a statement posted on X.
Mr. Maddrey was suspended without pay Thursday morning as the search warrant was executed, the commissioner said. Under the state’s retirement system, there is a lag between the day a resignation is submitted and the date it becomes effective.
Agents also searched other locations, Commissioner Tisch said, though she did not identify them. She referred questions to the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
The resignation of Mr. Maddrey, once a close ally of Mayor Eric Adams, spawned federal and local investigations into the former chief’s conduct.
Mr. Maddrey had demanded sex from a subordinate in exchange for overtime, according to a blog post by the officer’s lawyer, Eric Sanders.
Mr. Sanders last month filed a complaint against Mr. Maddrey with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of the subordinate, Quathisha Epps. He wrote on the blog that Mr. Maddrey had taken advantage of her financial problems and vulnerable emotional state to force her into “unwanted sexual acts in exchange for professional benefits, including overtime opportunities.”
Federal investigators have joined an inquiry by the city’s Department of Investigation into the provision of overtime and the allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr. Maddrey, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office is also conducting an investigation.
“These are extremely serious and disturbing claims that allegedly occurred at N.Y.P.D. headquarters in Manhattan,” said Danielle Filson, an office spokeswoman, after the allegations surfaced.
Mr. Maddrey has denied the accusations.
Last week, the former police chief stood silently next to his lawyer, Lambros Lambrou, as Mr. Lambrou addressed reporters about the accusations. Mr. Lambrou said that Mr. Maddrey had been accused by a subordinate who had engaged in overtime abuse and been investigated. Mr. Lambrou said she had decided to blame Mr. Maddrey to “deflect her wrongdoing.”
Mr. Lambrou called the allegations against his client a lie. He did not immediately respond to a message for comment Thursday.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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