FBI and NYPD Raid Homes of Top Police Officials in Sweeping NYC Corruption Probe

Simultaneous raids shake the Adams-era NYPD

Federal agents and NYPD Internal Affairs investigators fanned out across New York City on Wednesday morning, executing search warrants at the homes of current and former high-ranking police officials as part of a bribery probe.nytimes +1 The searches targeted former NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, former Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Tarik Sheppard, and Assistant Chief James McCarthy — all senior figures who rose during former Mayor Eric Adams's tenure.nytimes +1 McCarthy was stripped of his gun and shield and transferred from his command of Patrol Borough Manhattan South on Tuesday evening, hours before the raids took place.nydailynews

The bribery allegations and who is targeted

The investigation, run jointly by the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, centres on allegations that Maddrey accepted bribes in exchange for favors, promotions and assignments within the department, according to law enforcement sources.cbsnews It marks the second time federal investigators have searched Maddrey's home; the first came in January 2025 amid a separate sex-for-overtime scandal.nydailynews NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the searches in a statement Wednesday, saying the probe "concerns conduct by former and current members of the NYPD" and that she had pledged to ensure the department "conducted itself with integrity" upon taking office.cbsnews +1

A separate arrest deepens the Adams-era fallout

Hours into the raids, federal agents separately arrested Frank Carone — former chief of staff to Mayor Adams — on bribery and money laundering charges unrelated to the NYPD probe.cbsnews +1 Carone, his brother Anthony, hotel owner Yan Po Zhu, and hotel employee Crystal Chen were indicted in federal court on a 13-count indictment for allegedly steering a $6.825 million migrant-shelter contract to Zhu's Long Island City hotel in exchange for roughly $120,000 in bribe payments, according to the indictment.cbsnews +1 The bribes were allegedly funneled through Anthony Carone's law firm and spent on travel, dining, and personal expenses.cbsnews FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle called it "a massive betrayal of the American taxpayers' trust."cnn

A widening cloud over City Hall's past

The dual actions compound legal troubles that have dogged the Adams administration since he left office. Federal prosecutors indicted Adams himself in 2024 on bribery, wire fraud, and foreign-contribution charges; those charges were later dropped by the Trump administration in early 2025 before going to trial, in a move several prosecutors resigned rather than execute.cnn Current Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that "any corruption" constitutes "a breach in public trust" and expressed confidence in Commissioner Tisch's leadership.nydailynews Carone's attorneys denied wrongdoing, calling the prosecution "utterly misguided" and vowing to seek a "swift acquittal."cbsnews