Federal agents on Thursday searched the home of Jeffrey Maddrey, the former top uniformed NYPD officer who stepped down from his position last month following sexual abuse allegations, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Tisch, in a social media post, said Maddrey has now been suspended from the department “as law enforcement agents executed search warrants at several locations, including his residence.” She said further questions should be directed to the Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.
Maddrey, the former chief of department, had been promoted and praised by Mayor Eric Adams despite some previous allegations of misconduct, including a case in which he was accused of wrongly ordering officers to void the arrest of a former NYPD colleague who had allegedly threatened three boys with a gun.
But his tenure came to an abrupt end Dec. 20, when he resigned after the New York Post asked the NYPD to respond to allegations made by his subordinate, Lt. Quathisha Epps, that Maddrey had demanded sexual favors in exchange for overtime pay. Maddrey has denied that claim but admitted to what his attorney called a consensual relationship with his subordinate.
The U.S. Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has said it is also investigating the claims against Maddrey.
Epps alleged that Maddrey pressured her for sexual favors starting in June 2023, when she worked in his office. In return, she said Maddrey offered her huge quantities of overtime pay — making Epps one of the department’s top earners, drawing about $204,000 in extra pay last year.
Tisch said Thursday that the NYPD’s internal affairs bureau is working with law enforcement. Tisch has done some house-cleaning in that division as well — last month she removed the head of internal affairs, reportedly for failing to address Maddrey’s use of overtime pay.
Adams has distanced himself from Maddrey in the wake of the scandal, telling reporters Tuesday that he had supported his “policing practices” only.
“I have been extremely, extremely proud of those knowns,” Adams said. “You can’t predict unknowns. And these are troubling allegations.”
The SDNY is the same office that indicted Adams on corruption charges in September and is pursuing other probes that touch on his administration. Its most recent U.S. Attorney, Damian Williams, left office in December and was replaced on an acting basis by his deputy, Edward Y. Kim. President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton as the next U.S. Attorney in Manhattan.
