Federal investigators seize phones from NYC police boss, 4 top mayoral deputies

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal investigators this week seized phones from New York City’s police commissioner and at least four top deputies to New York Mayor Eric Adams, according to people familiar with the matter.

FBI agents seized the devices Wednesday from the homes of several high-ranking city officials, said two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation. The officials include First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright; Philip Banks, the deputy mayor for public safety; his brother David Banks, the city’s schools chancellor; and Timothy Pearson, a mayoral adviser and former high-ranking New York Police Department official.

Federal investigators also seized devices from the home of Police Commissioner Edward Caban, one of the people said.

The searches add to a flurry of investigative activity around Adams’s administration, his campaign and the first-term Democrat himself. He previously received subpoenas and had his electronics seized in federal inquiries.

Federal authorities haven’t accused him or any of his officials of any crimes, and Adams, a retired police captain, has denied any wrongdoing.

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“I have been clear that my message throughout my public life is to follow the law,” Adams said Thursday evening on Fox 5 New York TV.

He told reporters earlier at City Hall that if the administration has information that’s needed, it will be turned over, “and I’m going to continue to be the mayor of the City of New York.”

Lisa Zornberg, City Hall’s top lawyer, said in a statement that investigators had not indicated that the mayor or his staff were “targets of any investigation.”

The NYPD said in a statement that it was aware of and cooperating with an investigation by Manhattan-based federal prosecutors “involving members of service.” The department directed further inquiries to prosecutors, who declined to comment, as did an FBI spokesperson.

Benjamin Brafman, an attorney for Philip Banks, confirmed that a search was conducted on the homes of Philip Banks as well as Terence Banks, a consultant and the brother of David and Philip Banks.

The searches represent the latest sign that federal authorities are scrutinizing members of Adams’ inner circle.

He took office as mayor in 2022 after serving as Brooklyn’s borough president and as a state senator.

Last fall and winter, the FBI raided the home of a top Adams campaign fundraiser, the residence of an official in the mayor’s administration’s international affairs office, and properties belonging to Adams’ director of Asian affairs.

Federal agents seized the mayor’s phones and iPad as he was leaving a November event in Manhattan. Then he, his campaign arm and City Hall received subpoenas from federal prosecutors earlier this summer.

One of the people with knowledge of the matter has said that the recent subpoenas requested information about the mayor’s schedule, his overseas travel and potential connections to the Turkish government.

The latest round of searches of people close to Adams did not appear to be tied to the Turkish investigation, the person said. It was not immediately clear whether federal authorities were seeking information linked to one investigation or multiple.

Adams appointed Caban, a veteran NYPD official, as police commissioner last summer. He is the first Latino to lead the nation’s largest police force.

Pearson, whom the mayor has described as a “good friend,” occupies an unusual role in city government, working for the quasi-public Economic Development Corporation, while retaining influence over the police department. He is currently facing multiple lawsuits accusing him of sexually harassing female employees, and he is facing a separate investigation for his role in a brawl at a shelter for homeless migrants. A lawyer representing Pearson in the harassment suit did not immediately respond to a phone call.

Federal prosecutors previously named Philip Banks as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in an investigation into a police bribery scheme during former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. Banks abruptly retired in 2014 but returned to city government after Adams took office in 2022.

David Banks, the schools chancellor, shares a home in Harlem with his partner, Sheena Wright, the first deputy mayor.

He declined to comment as he left an event Thursday at a New York City school.

“Today is the first day of school. It is all about the kids. If there’s any other comments that will be made, it will be happening tomorrow,” David Banks told Fox 5 New York.

Terence Banks founded a consulting firm “dedicated to connecting businesses with government and community stakeholders” after he retired last year from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The agency runs subways, buses and commuter railroads and is not overseen by the mayor, who appoints some members of its board.

An attorney for Terence Banks, Timothy Sini, said in an email that his client had been assured by the government that he was “not a target of this investigation.”

The news outlet The City was first to report the searches.

A spokesperson for the city’s Law Department declined to comment.

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This story has been corrected to show the correct spelling of the deputy mayor for public safety’s first name is Philip, not Phillip.

___ Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.