Federal investigators fanned out in the early morning hours of Wednesday to the homes of several top New York City officials, including two deputy mayors and the police commissioner, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.
The agents visited the homes of New York Police Department Commissioner Edward Caban, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III, according to the sources.
Investigators also served a subpoena to Timothy Pearson, a former police inspector who is currently a special advisor to Mayor Eric Adams, according to people familiar with the investigation.
Sources said investigators from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York seized electronic devices, including phones, from the high-ranking officials.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI declined to comment on the recent law enforcement action.
Three sources briefed on the investigations indicated that the probe into police officials by the US attorney is not connected to the FBI’s long-running investigation into officials at City Hall.
Since last November, multiple officials from the mayor’s office have had their homes searched, their phones seized and their records subpoenaed. Adams had his electronic devices seized by FBI agents.
Sources briefed on the investigation say subpoenas were issued for the phones of three lower ranking police officials.
“The Department is aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York involving members of service,” a spokesperson for the NYPD said in a statement. “The Department is fully cooperating in the investigation. Any questions regarding the investigation should be directed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
In November 2023, the FBI raided the home of Adams’ chief fundraiser Brianna Suggs. Earlier this year, the homes of a top aide, Winnie Greco, was also raided by the FBI as part of a separate inquiry by the Eastern District of New York.
In a statement, Chief Counsel for City Hall Lisa Zornberg said, “Investigators have not indicated to us the mayor or his staff are targets of any investigation.”
“As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has repeatedly made clear that all members of the team need to follow the law,” Zornberg said.
These latest efforts, which took city officials by surprise, appear to mark an expansion in the number of separate probes by federal investigators and prosecutors into New York City officials.
Adams has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and neither he nor anyone in his administration has been charged with a crime.
The full scope of these investigations remain unclear, but CNN has previously reported that in one probe, federal investigators are focused on whether the campaign worked with Turkish government officials in New York to direct donations into Adams campaign coffers.
CNN’s Nicki Brown contributed to this report.
