What to know about the NYPD, FBI raids across NYC during investigation into police bribery allegations

Three separate search warrants were carried out Wednesday as part of a joint NYPD and FBI probe into alleged corruption within the police department, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

The raids are part of an ongoing bribery investigation involving current and former members of the NYPD. 

The searches stemmed from an investigation into the conduct of former NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, a source told CBS News.   

The probe, involving the department's Internal Affairs Bureau, is part of an effort by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to root out corruption. 

• Read more: Frank Carone, former chief of staff to ex-NYC Mayor Eric Adams, arrested in corruption investigation

Who is the investigation targeting? 

Sources said former NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard and Manhattan South Bureau Commanding Officer James McCarthy are being investigated on bribery charges.

Searches were executed at both of their residences. 

Chopper 2 showed FBI agents at Sheppard's home at around 8:30 a.m.

Tisch removed McCarthy, took away his gun and assigned him to desk duty. He has been replaced by Assistant Chief Melissa Eger, according to police sources.  

Search warrants were also executed on Maddrey's home. Sources said he allegedly received favors in exchange for transfers, assignments and promotions he approved. 

Maddrey resigned from the NYPD in 2024 after a subordinate accused him of coercing her into sex. His home was first searched a month later, though he had denied any wrongdoing.

NYPD Commissioner Tisch on the investigation

Tisch released a statement Wednesday about the investigation:

"This morning, members of the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau and the FBI executed search warrants as part of a criminal investigation being pursued by the NYPD, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. The investigation is ongoing and concerns conduct by former and current members of the NYPD.

"When I became Police Commissioner, I promised New Yorkers that under my leadership the NYPD would conduct itself with integrity and that there would be a thorough investigation of any claim that members of service failed to meet that standard."

Tisch had a sobering warning for the new police recruits at Wednesday's graduation ceremony.

"You must act with integrity. The stakes could not be any higher. If you fail to meet that standard, the consequences will be swift and they will be severe," Tisch said. 

Mayor Mamdani comments on the corruption crackdown

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke about the investigation during a news conference.

"Any corruption would amount to a serious violation of the responsibility within the NYPD and a breach in public trust," Mamdani said. "Commissioner Tisch has already shown a real commitment to cracking down on corruption and ensuring that the public servants in the NYPD are held to higher standards."

Mike Alcazar, a retired NYPD detective and current John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor, said this investigation is as serious as it gets.

"These are the top of the top of the executives in charge of the NYPD. It's a bad look," Alcazar said. "They're going to look through their electronic history, their Google searches. I think they're looking to make arrests. That's what it's going to lead to."