FBI searches homes of NYC police boss, 3 top mayoral deputies

NEW YORK (AP) — FBI agents this week searched the homes of New York City’s police commissioner and at least three top deputies to New York Mayor Eric Adams, according to people familiar with the matter.

FBI agents seized electronic devices Wednesday from the homes of Philip Banks, the deputy mayor for public safety, and Sheena Wright, the first deputy mayor, said two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation. Agents also searched the home of Timothy Pearson, a former high-ranking New York Police Department official who now advises the mayor on public safety, the people said.

One of them said agents also seized devices from Police Commissioner Edward Caban’s home.

The searches add to a roster of investigative activity around Adams’s administration, his campaign and the first-term Democrat himself. Federal authorities haven’t accused him or any of his officials of any crimes, and Adams, a retired police captain, has denied any wrongdoing.

He told reporters at City Hall on Thursday that “the goal is to follow the law, and that is what this administration always stood for and what we’re going to continue to stand for.”

He said that if the administration has information that’s needed, it will be turned over, “and I’m going to continue to be the mayor of the City of New York.”

Lisa Zornberg, City Hall’s top lawyer, said in a statement that investigators had not indicated that the mayor or his staff were “targets of any investigation.”

The NYPD said in a statement that it was aware of and cooperating with an investigation by Manhattan-based federal prosecutors “involving members of service.” The department directed further inquiries to prosecutors, who declined to comment, as did an FBI spokesperson.

Benjamin Brafman, an attorney for Philip Banks, confirmed that a search was conducted on his client’s home early Wednesday. Brafman declined to comment further.

The searches marked the latest sign of legal trouble in Adams’ administration. He took office as mayor in 2022 after serving as Brooklyn’s borough president and as a state senator.

This past November, federal agents seized the mayor’s phones and iPad as he was leaving an event in Manhattan and raided the home of one of his top fundraisers. He, his campaign arm and City Hall received subpoenas from federal prosecutors earlier this summer.

One of the people with knowledge of the matter has said that the recent subpoenas requested information about the mayor’s schedule, his overseas travel and potential connections to the Turkish government.

The latest round of searches did not appear to be tied to the Turkish investigation, the person said.

Adams appointed Caban, a veteran NYPD official, as police commissioner last summer. He is the first Latino to lead the nation’s largest police force.

Pearson is currently facing multiple lawsuits accusing him of sexually harassing female employees, and he is facing a separate investigation for his role in a brawl at a shelter for homeless migrants. A lawyer representing Pearson in the harassment suit did not immediately respond to a phone call.

Federal prosecutors previously named Banks as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in an investigation into a police bribery scheme during former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. Banks abruptly retired in 2014 but returned to city government after Adams took office in 2022.

Wright, the first deputy mayor, lives with her partner, David Banks, the city’s schools chancellor and brother of Philip Banks. It was not immediately clear whether investigators also sought records related to David Banks.

The news outlet The City was first to report the searches of Wright’s and Philip Banks’ homes.

A spokesperson for the city’s Law Department declined to comment.

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This story has been corrected to show the correct spelling of the deputy mayor for public safety’s first name is Philip, not Phillip.

___ Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.