FBI, NYPD search New York locations in corruption probe

FBI agents and NYPD investigators searched multiple New York City locations Wednesday morning in a corruption probe that has widened from former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey to other senior figures in the department. Jessica Tisch said the searches were carried out by the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in what she described as a criminal investigation.

The inquiry is focusing on current and former NYPD executives, and reports identified former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard and former Assistant Chief James McCarthy among those whose locations were searched. The sweep also reached former senior City Hall adviser Frank Carone, whose home was searched before he was taken into custody in a separate bribery probe tied to the Eric Adams administration.

Maddrey’s fall has been at the center of the case. He resigned on Dec. 20, 2024, after allegations that he traded overtime approval for sexual favors, a charge he has denied. Tisch said at the time that Maddrey was suspended while the Internal Affairs Bureau investigated the allegations, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Department of Investigation also examined them. Federal prosecutors then returned on Jan. 2, 2025, with search warrants at several Maddrey-linked locations, including his home.

CBS News said the latest searches stemmed from an ongoing probe into Maddrey’s conduct, underscoring how the investigation has moved from one former department chief to the wider command structure. That matters inside the NYPD because Maddrey was the department’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, and accusations against senior commanders can ripple through discipline, overtime oversight and day-to-day command in a force that depends on strict hierarchy.

The widening inquiry lands amid a long-running wave of corruption scrutiny touching both City Hall and police leadership. It has already produced resignations, suspensions, search warrants and, in some cases, arrests and indictments, leaving the city’s police command under sustained legal and political pressure.