Federal investigators have seized the cellphone of New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The details of the investigation were not immediately clear. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which is leading the probe, declined to comment. An NYPD spokesperson referred questions to the U.S. attorney's office.
"The department is aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York involving members of service," the spokesperson said. "The department is fully cooperating in the investigation."
Caban, the city’s first Latino police commissioner, has been leading the department since July 2023.
The seizure of his phone was part of a separate investigation from one focused on the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the sources said.
FBI agents on Wednesday searched the homes of multiple top officials close to Adams, including First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III, according to people familiar with the matter.
Wright and Banks couldn’t be reached for comment. Spokespersons for the FBI and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
A City Hall lawyer, Lisa Zornberg, said in a statement: “Investigators have not indicated to us the mayor or his staff are targets of any investigation. As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has repeatedly made clear that all members of the team need to follow the law.”
In the past year, FBI agents have searched the homes of multiple city officials and advisers close to Adams as part of an investigation that is believed to be focused on whether the Adams campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources, funneled through straw donors.
A City Hall source said the latest search does not seem to be related to the Turkey investigation.
Adams has repeatedly deflected questions about the investigation while stressing that he has not officially been accused of wrongdoing.
Banks, a former top police chief, has faced scrutiny in the past. When he served in the NYPD, federal prosecutors identified him as an unindicted co-conspirator in a police bribery scheme involving members of former Mayor Bill De Blasio's administration. Banks, who resigned from the department in 2014, was not charged.
His attorney, Benjamin Brafman, declined to comment on the new investigation.
New York City Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, who is a brother of Philip Banks, had his phone seized by investigators.
"Yesterday was the first day of school for the 1.1 million students and staff of New York City Public Schools, and I remain focused on ensuring they have safe, academically rigorous, and joyful school year," he said in a statement. "I am confirming that I am cooperating with a federal inquiry."
