Federal authorities searched the home of Interim NYPD Commissioner Thomas Donlon on Friday, just a week after his predecessor, Edward Cavan, resigned following a search of his home by the FBI.
Donlon confirmed the search in a brief statement released by police late Saturday night, saying authorities “seized materials that came into my possession 20 years ago and are unrelated to my work with the NYPD.”
He added that this is not an NYPD matter and the department would not be commenting further.
Donlon, the former FBI agent, declined to say which federal agency searched the home, and the nature of the investigation remains unclear.
City officials declined to comment on the matter.
A law enforcement source told The Post that the federal government is sending a message to Mayor Eric Adams that “no one is safe” because several members of his administration and close associates are under investigation.
Adams appointed Donlon, an NYPD outsider, as New York City's interim chief on September 12 after Cabán, a 30-year veteran of the NYPD, suddenly resigned amid a federal investigation..
Federal agents seized electronic devices at the homes of Cabán and other city officials as part of a larger corruption investigation that includes allegations of patronage, according to people familiar with the matter.
In his resignation letter, Cabán said the media frenzy surrounding the investigation, and the investigation into his twin brother, had become a “distraction” for the police.
Other close associates of Adams who have been caught up in the federal investigation include Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, former NYPD officer Tim Pearson, Schools Superintendent David Banks and his brother Terrence Banks, and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.
A native of the Bronx, Donlon has a long career in law enforcement at the local, state, federal and international levels.
He previously served as director of homeland security for New York and ran the FBI's National Threat Assessment Center and the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force.
When Donlon accepted the role of interim chief, he vowed to “uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency and support the dedicated police officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.”
