The NYPD's former highest-ranking uniformed officer has been suspended from the department, and multiple locations tied to him, including his home, have been searched in what is now apparently a federal criminal investigation into alleged sexual misconduct, the head of the nation's largest police force confirmed Thursday.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch referred additional questions about Jeffrey Maddrey, who resigned last month from his post as the NYPD's chief of department amid allegations he pressured a lieutenant into sex acts in exchange for overtime and other perks, to federal prosecutors in Manhattan. They had no immediate comment Thursday.
A spokesperson with the FBI's New York office confirmed the search of Maddrey's home.
The investigation is being conducted with the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau, Tisch says.
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— Jessica S. Tisch (@NYPDPC) January 2, 2025
Maddrey couldn't immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
In a sobering sit-down interview exclusively with NBC New York last week, Maddrey pushed back against the blaring headlines and public accusations that he demanded sex from Lt. Quathisha Epps in exchange for generous overtime pay and other perks. He also denied signing off on any overtime for her or pressuring her in any way.
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When asked if he forced any subordinate to perform any sexual favors, Maddrey said "absolutely not," and described the relationship between he and Epps as "an office fling."
Epps raised allegations against Maddrey on Dec. 21 in a complaint she filed against the city with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He resigned shortly thereafter.
In the complaint, she claimed Maddrey, engaged in “quid pro quo sexual harassment” by coercing her to “perform unwanted sexual favors in exchange for overtime opportunities in the workplace.”
Epps, who held an administrative post in Maddrey’s office, was the NYPD's top earner in fiscal year 2024, according to payroll data, pulling in more than $400,000 — more than half of it in overtime pay.
Epps contends that when she finally pushed back at Maddrey’s demands, he retaliated by claiming she was abusing overtime, prompting the department to launch a review. Maddrey's attorney, Lambros Lambrou, has said that the timing didn't add up because Epps was already under investigation before she filed her complaint.
Lt. Epps and her attorneys did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment from NBC New York. However, Epps' lawyer, Eric Sanders, told The Associated Press that Lambrou’s admission that Maddrey had a sexual relationship with Epps undercut a previous statement denying “every aspect” of the allegations.
The NYPD has declined to comment on the allegations against Maddrey other than to say it “takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and will thoroughly investigate this matter.”
Maddrey, a close ally of mayor and former police captain Eric Adams, joined the NYPD in 1991 and rose through the ranks to become chief of patrol in 2021. In 2023, he was promoted to chief of department despite a history of internal disciplinary issues, including an allegation that he lied to investigators about an affair with another subordinate.
