A federal judge has thrown out a high-profile racketeering lawsuit brought by a former interim New York City police commissioner who accused the NYPD under former Mayor Eric Adams of systemic corruption and operating as a criminal enterprise.
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According to Fox News, Thomas Donlon, a veteran FBI official recruited by Adams to steady a department already reeling from scandal, filed the civil racketeering complaint in July after a brief stint leading the force. Donlon alleged he encountered systemic corruption and criminal conduct that he said was enabled by Adams and senior allies who, in his telling, routinely inflated overtime, blocked internal probes and punished whistleblowers rather than wrongdoers.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote ruled on Wednesday that Donlons allegations, while serious, did not satisfy the legal threshold for racketeering because the complaint failed to show the defendants acted with a common purpose. A spokesperson for the citys Law Department told The Associated Press they were pleased the court agreed there was no legal basis for this case to continue.
Donlons attorney, John Scola, signaled the fight is far from over, confirming that his client has already appealed the dismissal to the Second Circuit. Mr. Donlon confronted corruption within the NYPDs highest ranks and was forced out for refusing to engage in illegal conduct, Scola said, adding, We are confident the Second Circuit will allow his claims to proceed.
Adams had tapped Donlon to serve as interim commissioner after the September 2024 resignation of Police Commissioner Edward Caban, whose phone was seized by federal agents amid a criminal corruption probe into the then-mayor and his administration. Donlon held the post for roughly two months before being replaced by Jessica Tisch, who continues to lead the department under the citys current mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
The dismissed lawsuit is one of several complaints from seasoned NYPD officials who have described a culture of entrenched corruption and political favoritism during Adams tenure. Federal prosecutors, meanwhile, have brought multiple bribery cases against former NYPD leaders who served under Adams, raising broader questions about accountability in big-city Democratic governance and the cost to public trust when law enforcement leadership is repeatedly tainted by scandal.
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