A former NYPD captain alleges in a lawsuit that former police executives in Mayor Eric Adams’ administration promoted unqualified officers to task forces that work with federal law enforcement.
The claim, filed against the city by Brian Nyhus, who quit the department in 2024, alleges he faced retaliation after raising concerns about the promotions, both internally and to federal officials.
The lawsuit is the latest in a string of complaints by former high-ranking NYPD officials who have alleged cronyism, mismanagement and retaliation by former department executives during the Adams administration.
Nyhus says he served as commanding officer of the NYPD’s Homeland Security Investigations Task Force and oversaw dozens of officers who work with federal law enforcement, including agents from HSI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies.
Federal-local task forces have drawn scrutiny in recent months because of the Trump administration’s use of federal law enforcement in its civil immigration crackdown, though the allegations in the lawsuit predate Trump’s second term in office. The allegations also concern a time period before current Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch's tenure.
In a statement, Nyhus’ attorney, Sarena Townsend, said the former officer was penalized for doing the right thing.
“Lax vetting of NYPD detectives and the prioritization of favors over competence invites critical errors by police such as bungled investigations and civil rights violations. Mr. Nyhus was rightly concerned, complained about it, and was retaliated against for his integrity,” Townsend said.
The NYPD declined to comment about the lawsuit, and the city's law department did not respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan state Supreme Court on Dec. 23, claims Nyhus oversaw several units staffed by officers who collaborated with federal agents in complex investigations, including inquiries into money laundering and international drug trafficking.
An assignment to one of the units is considered a prestigious role in the department and officers are typically assigned through a referral by an existing member of the unit, according to the lawsuit.
But in May 2023, then-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey and his Chief of Staff Kaz Daughtry began unilaterally assigning unqualified detectives to the task forces, the lawsuit claims. An attorney who has represented Maddrey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The detectives tapped for transfers to the units included one who had been placed on a “cannot testify” list by the Brooklyn district attorney’s office after two federal judges found him not to be a credible witness.
Nyhus told his federal counterparts about the detective’s inclusion on the list, and they blocked the transfer, the lawsuit states.
He also warned his counterparts that the NYPD’s vetting process could no longer be trusted, and federal authorities began doing their own screenings, according to the lawsuit.
During one of those interviews, a federal supervisor asked an NYPD detective if she had experience with “wires,” a reference to wiretaps used in drug investigations, according to the lawsuit.
The detective was so inexperienced she mistakenly thought the supervisor was referencing a money transfer, and responded that she had experience with them from her time as a bank teller, the suit states.
That detective was eventually placed in another task force that collaborates with the FBI, which the lawsuit describes as an entry-level unit where many of Maddrey and Daughtry’s transfers could be assigned.
Nyhus claims he faced retaliation for questioning the transfers and was ultimately told he would be transferred to a less prestigious assignment in the department’s transit bureau, according to the lawsuit.
Rather than take the assignment, he resigned in March 2024. Nyhus is seeking $5 million in punitive damages and back wages of at least $50,000, according to the lawsuit.
This story was updated with additional comment.
