NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s acting police commissioner revealed Saturday night that federal authorities executed search warrants at his home the day before.
Thomas Donlon, who became acting commissioner just a week ago after his predecessor resigned, released a statement about the search within the police department.
“On Friday, September 20, federal authorities executed search warrants at my residence. They seized documents that were in my possession approximately 20 years ago and that are unrelated to my work with the New York City Police Department,” the statement said.
“This is not a matter for the ministry, and the ministry will not comment,” he added.
The statement did not specify what the investigation was about, which federal authorities were involved or what “materials” had been seized.
The unexplained and surprising search comes as New York Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is reeling from other federal law enforcement investigations.
Fabien Levy, the city’s deputy mayor for communications, said: “As we have said repeatedly, we expect all members of the team to fully comply with any law enforcement investigation.”
Just a week ago, former police commissioner Edward Caban resigned after federal authorities seized his electronic devices as part of an investigation that also involved his brother, a former police officer.
Federal agents have also seized the phones of the city’s public schools superintendent, a deputy mayor, Adams’ top public safety adviser and others in recent weeks. Earlier, investigators raided homes linked to Adams’ top campaign fundraiser and the Democrat’s Asian affairs director.
Last fall, federal agents also seized Adams’ phone as he left an event.
No charges have been filed in connection with any of the raids, and it was unclear whether there was a connection to the raid involving Donlon, who was not part of the Adams administration until a few days ago.
An FBI spokesman declined to comment. An email seeking comment from a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Manhattan did not immediately receive a response. A text message sent to Adams’ top spokesman late Saturday night also did not immediately receive a response.
Donlon spent decades at the FBI, where he worked on terrorism cases including the investigation of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and a 2000 attack on a U.S. Navy destroyer.
About 20 years ago, he was a top counterterrorism officer with the FBI in New York.
From 2009 to 2010, Donlon led the New York State Office of Homeland Security before entering the private security industry.
Adams appointed Donlon as commissioner last week and he took office Sept. 13, a week ago Friday.
The choice of an outsider with a long career in federal law enforcement — but no history of working with the NYPD — seemed at the time to be a potentially stabilizing move for the police department after Caban’s resignation.
Caban and his brother, James Caban, who runs a nighttime security company, have both denied any wrongdoing through their lawyers.
Despite all this, Adams, who is in his first term, said he will not be distracted by the investigations and will continue to serve the city.
