NEW YORK — A former high-ranking officer of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) acknowledged through his attorney on Friday that he had a “consensual, adult relationship” with a subordinate officer, but he refuted her allegations of coercion for sexual favors in exchange for increased pay.
Jeffrey Maddrey, who recently stepped down as the chief of department, the highest uniformed rank within the NYPD, remained quiet during his lawyer Lambros Lambrou’s remarks addressing the situation. The attorney disclosed that Maddrey’s affair with Lieutenant Quathisha Epps was brief, asserting that Maddrey did not have the authority to approve overtime compensation.
“Lt. Epps found herself in a compromising situation and is redirecting the blame onto Chief Maddrey with these accusations,” Lambrou claimed. He mentioned that they have evidence, including text messages and multimedia that Epps sent Maddrey, which he alleged indicate her attempt to initiate a relationship with him.
Epps filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last weekend, where she accused Maddrey of engaging in “quid pro quo sexual harassment,” stating that she was pressured to perform unwanted sexual acts in exchange for overtime shifts at work.
In the fiscal year 2024, Epps was reported to be the highest earner in the NYPD with earnings exceeding $400,000, over half of which came from overtime pay. She asserted that when she resisted Maddrey’s alleged demands, he responded by accusing her of misuse of overtime, triggering a departmental inquiry. However, Lambrou argued that her complaint lacked consistency since she was already under investigation prior to filing.
Epps’ attorney, Eric Sanders, pointed out that Lambrou’s admission of Maddrey’s relationship with Epps contradicted an earlier denial where Maddrey claimed to reject “every aspect” of the allegations against him. “We have a wealth of digital evidence that we hope will bring this individual to justice,” Sanders asserted.
Maddrey, who has been closely aligned with Mayor Eric Adams and worked his way up the ranks since joining the NYPD in 1991, was appointed to chief of patrol in 2021 and then promoted to chief of department the following year, despite having faced past disciplinary issues, including allegations of dishonesty regarding another subordinate affair.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch accepted Maddrey’s immediate resignation effective December 20. Following Maddrey’s exit, John Chell, the previous chief of patrol, was appointed as the interim chief of department.
The NYPD has refrained from providing comments on the allegations against Maddrey, except to affirm its commitment to addressing claims of sexual misconduct seriously and conducting thorough investigations into such matters.
This resignation is part of a troubling trend within the NYPD, which has seen various leadership changes and scandals recently. In September, Commissioner Edward Caban resigned amidst a federal investigation involving members of the Adams administration. Subsequently, Timothy Pearson, another advisor to Adams, also resigned after authorities confiscated items from his residence; he has faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment from colleagues, although no criminal charges have been filed against either Pearson or Caban, both of whom deny any wrongdoing.
