A former top New York City police official admitted through his lawyer Friday that he had a sexual relationship with a subordinate, but denied her claims that he demanded sex in exchange for extra pay. Jeffrey Maddrey stood silently as his lawyer, Lambros Lambrou, addressed allegations that culminated in resignation a week ago as chief of department, the NYPD's highest-ranking uniformed officer.
Lambrou, speaking to reporters at his Manhattan law office, said that the 33-year NYPD veteran had a “consensual, adult relationship” with Lt. Quathisha Epps and had no authority to sign off on overtime pay. “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 said.
Epps raised allegations against Maddrey last weekend in a complaint she filed against the city with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In it, 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 post in Maddrey’s office, was the NYPD's top earner in fiscal year 2024, according to payroll data, pulling in more than $400,000 — more than half of it in overtime pay. Epps contends that when she finally pushed back at Maddrey’s demands, he retaliated by claiming she was abusing overtime, prompting the department to launch a review. Lambrou said Friday that the timing didn't add up because Epps was already under investigation before she filed her complaint.
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