FBI Searches Homes of NYPD Chief and 3 Deputy Mayors

FBI agents this week searched the homes of the New York Police Commissioner and at least three of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ deputies, according to people familiar with the matter.

FBI agents seized electronic devices Wednesday from the homes of First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Philip Banks, the mayor’s deputy for public safety, and Timothy Pearson, an aide to the mayor and a former senior New York Police Department official, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the ongoing investigation.

One of them said agents also confiscated devices from the home of Police Commissioner Edward Cabana.

The searches add to a long list of investigative efforts surrounding Adams’ administration, campaign and the first-term Democrat himself. He has been served with subpoenas and his electronic devices have been seized during the investigation.

Federal authorities have not charged him or any of his officials with any crimes, and Adams, a retired police captain, denies any wrongdoing.

“I have made it clear throughout my public life that my message is to uphold the law,” Adams said Thursday night on Fox 5 New York.

Earlier at City Hall, he told reporters that if the administration had the information it needed, it would provide it, “and I will continue to be the mayor of New York.”

Lisa Zornberg, City Hall’s general counsel, 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 the investigation by Manhattan federal prosecutors “involving members of the service.” The department referred further inquiries to prosecutors, who declined to comment, as did an FBI spokesman.

Benjamin Brafman, attorney for Philip Banks, confirmed that a search was carried out at the homes of Philip Banks and his brother Terence, a consultant.

The searches are the latest sign that federal authorities are looking into Adams’ entourage.

He assumed office as mayor in 2022, having previously served as Brooklyn borough president and state senator.

Last fall and winter, the FBI raided the home of a senior Adams campaign fundraiser, the residence of a mayoral international affairs official and properties belonging to the Adams administration’s Asia director.

Federal agents seized the mayor’s phones and iPad as he left a November event in Manhattan. He, his campaign arm and City Hall then received subpoenas from federal prosecutors earlier this summer.

One person familiar with the matter said the latest subpoenas sought information about the mayor’s schedule, his foreign travel and potential ties to the Turkish government.

The latest round of searches was apparently unrelated to the Turkish investigation, the person said.

Adams named Cabana, an NYPD veteran, 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, as well as a separate investigation into his role in a brawl at a migrant homeless shelter. A lawyer representing Pearson in the harassment lawsuit did not immediately return a call.

Federal prosecutors previously named Banks as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in an investigation into police bribery 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 schools chancellor and brother of Philip and Terence Banks. It was not immediately clear whether investigators were also looking for documents related to David Banks.

Terence Banks founded a consulting firm “dedicated to connecting businesses with government and community stakeholders” after retiring last year from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The agency manages subways, buses and commuter rail and is not overseen by the mayor, who appoints some board members.

Terence Banks’ company has been contacted via email seeking comment.

The first information about the searches of the homes of Wright and Philip Banks was reported by The City news agency.

A spokesman for the city’s Legal Department declined to comment.