The duties of top Adams administration aides investigated by the FBI have not been changed since the raids last week, the mayor said Tuesday.
“No one has been accused of any wrongdoing, and I expect everyone to keep doing their jobs,” Adams said.
The probe has seen five of Adams’ top aides have their electronics seized and homes searched last week, including First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Police Commissioner Edward Caban, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, Schools Chancellor David Banks, as well as Caban’s brother James Caban and a third Banks brother, Terrence Banks.
Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Daily News
(L-R) Phil Banks, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Daily News)
“It’s imperative that we follow the process and system of doing inquiries, and that’s what I’ve done throughout my years of law enforcement, and that’s what we do in this country,” Adams said at the virtual briefing, held remotely in light of the mayor’s COVID-19 diagnosis Monday. And so the focus for this administration is to continue the success that we have shown throughout my years in office, and we’re going to do just that.”
No one has been accused of wrongdoing, though pressure has been especially intense for NYPD Commissioner Caban to resign from his role, which the Daily News reported could happen in the coming days.
Responding to reports that there was pressure coming from inside City Hall for Caban to step down, Adams said: “Any orders that come from City Hall to make a personnel shift is going to come with my blessings, and this did not come from my blessing.”
He then answered the question of whether he had full confidence in the top cop by talking about his support for the NYPD as a whole.
“I have the utmost confidence in the New York City Police Department,” Adams said. “That is where my utmost confidence is, and they have shown consistently the ability to keep the city safe.”
The mayor is facing a number of investigations into his administration on both a federal and local levels. In months prior, aides under investigation have been suspended, had their roles modified or resigned — although those aides have not been quite as senior as those affected by the recent probe.
Last year, feds raided the homes of aides Rana Abbasova and Brianna Suggs in an investigation into ties between his 2021 campaign and the Turkish government. After those FBI raids, Abbasova was suspended without pay while Suggs was given a different position in the campaign. Following a raid on the home of Winne Greco, a senior advisor to Adams, City Hall said Greco would have to go on unpaid leave after a medical absence — although she did resume work at City Hall months later.
Department of Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich stepped down two days after it was revealed in 2022 that he was under local investigation for accepting and soliciting $150,000 in bribes.
Adams declined to say whether Police Commissioner Caban will remain in his role amid reporting that the top cop could step down as soon as this week.
James Caban, the police commissioner’s twin brother, is a former NYPD officer who now works as a security consultant for nightlife venues. His role is under scrutiny as part of the federal investigation looking at whether he “sold” police protection to nightlife establishments, The News previously reported.
“My loyalty does not go to the point if you are found to have done something wrong,” Adams said Tuesday. “We all have to live up to the standards, and that’s the standard that I hold for myself and others, to follow the law and be committed to this city.”
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