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A federal judge in Manhattan dismissed a lawsuit that former interim NYPD commissioner Thomas Donlon filed in July, accusing Mayor Eric Adams and senior aides of operating the police department as a “criminal enterprise.” Judge Denise Cote said the complaint did not satisfy the statutory elements of racketeering, specifically the requirement that the defendants act with a “common purpose.”
“Mr. Donlon confronted corruption within the NYPD’s highest ranks and was forced out for refusing to engage in illegal conduct,” Scola said. “We are confident the Second Circuit will allow his claims to proceed.”
The city’s Law Department issued a brief statement after the ruling, saying, “We are pleased the court agreed there was no legal basis for this case to continue.” A request for comment from Mayor Adams’s office went unanswered.
Donlon, a longtime FBI official appointed by Adams to steady the department after the resignation of former commissioner Edward Caban, served as interim commissioner for about two months before being replaced by Jessica Tisch. His lawsuit was one of several filed by veteran police officials describing a culture of corruption and cronyism under the current administration. Federal prosecutors have also recently brought multiple bribery cases against former police officials who served under Adams.