Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sharun Goodwin on the Jan. 27, 2026 announcement of Goodwin’s appointment as commissioner of the New York Metropolis Division of Probation
Picture by Lloyd Mitchell
Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated Friday that allegations involving his appointed probation commissioner Sharun Goodwin are below investigation after a former Division of Probation (DOP) investigator sued the town Thursday, alleging she was fired for forwarding an nameless criticism that raised considerations about Goodwin’s alleged prior intimate relationship with the division’s normal counsel and different alleged misconduct.
Requested Friday at an unrelated press convention whether or not he nonetheless had confidence in Goodwin and when he first discovered of the accusations, Mamdani stated he takes “any allegations of misconduct incredibly seriously” however wouldn’t touch upon “any ongoing investigation.”
He added, “New Yorkers should rest assured that there is an investigation.”
Mamdani introduced Goodwin’s appointment on Jan. 27 as a part of a slate of recent company leaders. In that announcement, Metropolis Corridor described Goodwin as a 37-year veteran of the Division of Probation who retired in 2024 after serving in a collection of roles, together with deputy commissioner of grownup operations.
On the time of her appointment, Goodwin stated she would lead the division with “transparency, courage, and unwavering dedication.”
The lawsuit, first reported by POLTICIO, was filed April 9 in New York state court docket by Ebony Huntley, a retired NYPD lieutenant who says she joined the Division of Probation in Might 2025 and later served as chief investigator and director of investigations.
In response to the criticism, Huntley obtained an nameless worker criticism on or about March 25 that described what employees noticed as a deteriorating office setting below Goodwin.
The lawsuit says the criticism raised considerations about Goodwin’s alleged prior intimate relationship with division Normal Counsel Wayne McKenzie, which workers believed created a battle of curiosity, and in addition described alleged unprofessional conduct by the chief of employees, considerations concerning the conduct and health of the human assets director and integrity officer, and fears of retaliation in opposition to individuals related to the prior administration.
The alleged nameless criticism from involved Division of Probation workers that Ebony Huntley says in a lawsuit she obtained earlier than forwarding it to the town Division of Investigation. Picture courtesy of court docket filings
The following day, Huntley says, she was known as right into a distant assembly run by McKenzie, who the lawsuit says acknowledged he had been named within the criticism after which fired her. The criticism alleges McKenzie instructed her, “I cannot have a person like Ebony working for me,” and stated he was disenchanted in her integrity. Huntley claims the remarks and timing present she was terminated for forwarding the criticism to DOI.
The go well with says Huntley had obtained no disciplinary warnings or adverse efficiency evaluations earlier than the firing. It alleges she misplaced her wage, advantages and a pending elevate that might have elevated her pay from about $83,000 to roughly $170,000, and says she suffered emotional misery, reputational injury and misplaced profession alternatives. The criticism seeks reinstatement, again pay, entrance pay, compensatory damages, punitive damages the place obtainable and legal professional’s charges.
The lawsuit additionally says Huntley’s function modified after Mamdani took workplace and Goodwin was put in on the company. Huntley alleges her pending wage enhance was delayed after the change in administration and that, by March, each her elevate and her chief investigator duties had been placed on maintain pending additional assessment.
New York News has reached out to the DOI and DOP for remark. A DOI spokesperson stated the watchdog company was “aware of this matter and declines further comment.”
