A former high NYPD official admitted Friday that he had a sexual relationship with a subordinate, however denied her claims that he demanded intercourse in trade for further pay.
In a sobering sit-down interview completely with NBC New York, former Chief of Division Joseph Maddrey pushed again towards the blaring headlines and public accusations that he demanded intercourse from Lt. Quathisha Epps in trade for beneficiant time beyond regulation pay and different perks. He additionally denied signing off on any time beyond regulation for her, or pressuring her in any means.
When requested if he compelled any subordinate to carry out any sexual favors, Maddrey mentioned “absolutely not,” and described the connection between he and Epps as “an office fling.”
The NYPD’s former chief of division took on allegations that he traded time beyond regulation pay for sexual favors. Jeffrey Maddrey didn’t deny he had a sexual relationship with a subordinate, however did deny claims he demanded intercourse in trade for time beyond regulation pay and different perks. NBC New York’s Chris Jose reviews.
“Me and Lieutenant Epps worked together starting in early 2022. We were together for about a year and a half….One thing led to another. We had an office fling, and that’s all it was, it was an office fling,” mentioned Maddrey.
Previously the NYPD’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, Maddrey downplayed any notion of it being a critical relationship between them.
Whereas Maddrey mentioned the connection was “absolutely consensual,” he acknowledged that it “wasn’t appropriate for me to be in a relationship with anyone,” which he mentioned is in the end why he resigned.
“That’s part of the reason I did make the decision to step down, because I knew I used bad judgement,” he mentioned.
The unique interview got here lower than every week after he abruptly resigned following the graphic, salacious allegations of sexual misconduct — simply the most recent bombshell to embroil the higher ranks of the NYPD. Epps raised allegations towards Maddrey on Dec. 21 in a grievance she filed towards the town with the federal Equal Employment Alternative Fee.
Within the grievance, she claimed Maddrey, engaged in “quid pro quo sexual harassment” by coercing her to “perform unwanted sexual favors in exchange for overtime opportunities in the workplace.”
Epps, who held an administrative put up in Maddrey’s workplace, was the NYPD’s high earner in fiscal 12 months 2024, based on payroll knowledge, pulling in additional than $400,000 — greater than half of it in time beyond regulation pay.
Epps contends that when she lastly pushed again at Maddrey’s calls for, he retaliated by claiming she was abusing time beyond regulation, prompting the division to launch a overview. Maddrey’s lawyer, Lambros Lambrou, mentioned Friday that the timing did not add up as a result of Epps was already below investigation earlier than she filed her grievance.
“What happened here seems to be that Lieutenant Epps is under investigation internally by the NYPD since October, and the allegations are that not only was she putting in for excessive overtime, but that she was actually putting in for overtime that she had not completed or done. So that she was effectively stealing time,” Lambrou informed NBC New York. “So when she put in her retirement papers, two days later the NYPD suspended her. And they suspended her because of suspicion that she had committed a crime, which is stealing overtime from the NYPD.”
Maddrey stood silently as Lambrou later spoke to reporters at his Manhattan regulation workplace, saying the 33-year NYPD veteran had a “consensual, adult relationship” with Epps and had no authority to log out on time beyond regulation pay. He and Maddrey additionally famous they’ve proof backing up their statements that the connection was consensual, together with intimate textual content messages and pictures.
“Lt Epps got caught with her hand in the cookie jar and is trying to deflect her wrong doing by making these allegations against Chief Maddrey,” Lambrou mentioned.
Lt. Epps and her attorneys didn’t instantly reply to a number of requests for remark from NBC New York. Nonetheless, Epps’ lawyer, Eric Sanders, informed The Related Press that Lambrou’s admission that Maddrey had a sexual relationship with Epps undercut a earlier assertion denying “every aspect” of the allegations.
“We have a treasure trove of digital data that will hopefully bring this degenerate to justice,” Sanders mentioned.
The NYPD has declined to touch upon the allegations towards Maddrey apart from to say it “takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and will thoroughly investigate this matter.”
Maddrey, a detailed ally of mayor and former police captain Eric Adams, joined the NYPD in 1991 and rose by way of the ranks to grow to be chief of patrol in 2021. In 2023, he was promoted to chief of division regardless of a historical past of inside disciplinary points, together with an allegation that he lied to investigators about an affair with one other subordinate.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch accepted Maddrey’s resignation on Dec. 20, efficient instantly. She appointed John Chell, the previous chief of patrol, to the place on an interim foundation.
Maddrey’s resignation adopted months of scandal and management turnover on the NYPD, the nation’s largest police division. In September, Commissioner Edward Caban resigned after federal brokers searched his dwelling as a part of a wide-ranging inquiry into members of Adams’ interior circle.
Quickly after, Timothy Pearson, one other Adams adviser with broad latitude over the NYPD, resigned after investigators seized gadgets and money from his dwelling. He has additionally been accused of sexual harassment by a number of colleagues.
Neither Pearson nor Caban have been criminally charged, and each have denied wrongdoing.
