Federal investigators seize phones from NYC police boss, 3 top mayoral deputies

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Federal investigators seize phones from NYC police boss, 3 top mayoral deputies

2024-09-06 07:35 Last Updated At：07:40

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal investigators this week seized phones from New York City's police commissioner and at least three top deputies to New York Mayor Eric Adams, according to people familiar with the matter.

FBI agents seized electronic devices Wednesday from the homes of Philip Banks, the deputy mayor for public safety; Timothy Pearson, a mayoral adviser and former high-ranking New York Police Department official; and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, said two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

One of them said federal investigators also seized devices from the home of Police Commissioner Edward Caban.

The searches add to a roster of investigative activity around Adams's administration, his campaign and the first-term Democrat himself. He previously received subpoenas and had his electronics seized in federal inquiries.

Federal authorities haven't accused him or any of his officials of any crimes, and Adams, a retired police captain, has denied any wrongdoing.

“I have been clear that my message throughout my public life is to follow the law,” Adams said Thursday evening on Fox 5 New York TV.

He told reporters earlier at City Hall that if the administration has information that’s needed, it will be turned over, “and I’m going to continue to be the mayor of the City of New York.”

Lisa Zornberg, City Hall’s top lawyer, said in a statement that investigators had not indicated that the mayor or his staff were “targets of any investigation.”

The NYPD said in a statement that it was aware of and cooperating with an investigation by Manhattan-based federal prosecutors “involving members of service.” The department directed further inquiries to prosecutors, who declined to comment, as did an FBI spokesperson.

Benjamin Brafman, an attorney for Philip Banks, confirmed that a search was conducted on the homes of Philip Banks and his brother Terence, a consultant.

The searches represent the latest sign that federal authorities are scrutinizing Adams' circle.

He took office as mayor in 2022 after serving as Brooklyn's borough president and as a state senator.

Last fall and winter, the FBI raided the home of a top Adams campaign fundraiser, the residence of an official in the mayor's administration's international affairs office, and properties belonging to Adams' director of Asian affairs.

Federal agents seized the mayor’s phones and iPad as he was leaving a November event in Manhattan. Then he, his campaign arm and City Hall received subpoenas from federal prosecutors earlier this summer.

One of the people with knowledge of the matter has said that the recent subpoenas requested information about the mayor’s schedule, his overseas travel and potential connections to the Turkish government.

The latest round of searches of people close to Adams did not appear to be tied to the Turkish investigation, the person said.

Adams appointed Caban, a veteran NYPD official, as police commissioner last summer. He is the first Latino to lead the nation’s largest police force.

Pearson, whom the mayor has described as a “good friend,” occupies an unusual role in city government, working for the quasi-public Economic Development Corporation, while retaining influence over the police department. He is currently facing multiple lawsuits accusing him of sexually harassing female employees, and he is facing a separate investigation for his role in a brawl at a shelter for homeless migrants. A lawyer representing Pearson in the harassment suit did not immediately respond to a phone call.

Federal prosecutors previously named Banks as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in an investigation into a police bribery scheme during former Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration. Banks abruptly retired in 2014 but returned to city government after Adams took office in 2022.

Wright, the first deputy mayor, lives with her partner, David Banks, the city’s schools chancellor and brother of Philip and Terence Banks. It was not immediately clear whether investigators also sought records related to David Banks.

Terence Banks founded a consulting firm “dedicated to connecting businesses with government and community stakeholders" after he retired last year from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The agency runs subways, buses and commuter railroads and is not overseen by the mayor, who appoints some members of its board.

An attorney for Terence Banks, Timothy Sini, said in an email that his client had been assured by the government that he was “not a target of this investigation.”

The news outlet The City was first to report the searches of Wright's and Philip Banks' homes.

A spokesperson for the city’s Law Department declined to comment.

This story has been corrected to show the correct spelling of the deputy mayor for public safety's first name is Philip, not Phillip.

Trump was the subject of an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf club, the FBI says

2024-09-16 11:47 Last Updated At：11:50

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump was the target of what the FBI said “appears to be an attempted assassination” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived another attempt on his life. The former president said he was safe and well, and authorities held a man in custody.

U.S. Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away.

An agent fired and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. The man was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.

It was the latest jarring moment in a campaign year marked by unprecedented upheaval. On July 13, Trump was shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear. Eight days later, Democratic President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, giving way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party's nominee.

And it spawned new questions about Secret Service protective operations after the agency's admitted failures in preventing the assassination attempt this summer.

The man who was detained had a calm, flat demeanor and showed little emotion when he was stopped, according Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.

“He never asked, ‘What is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.

In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” He wrote: “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”

He returned to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach where he lives, according to a person familiar with Trump's movements who was not authorized to discuss them publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

It was not immediately clear how the development would affect his schedule or campaign dynamics. Trump was set to speak from Florida about cryptocurrency live on Monday night on the social media site X and had stops planned Tuesday and Wednesday in Michigan and on New York's Long Island.

An email to Trump campaign staffers obtained by AP said, “We ask that you remain vigilant in your daily comings and goings.”

“As we enter the last 50 days of President Trump’s campaign, we must remember that we will only be able save America from those who seek to destroy it by working together as one team.”

Biden and Harris were briefed on the matter and each issued a statement condemning political violence. Harris' added that she was “deeply disturbed” by the day's events and that “we all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence.”

Biden said he had directed his team to ensure the Secret Service "has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.”

In the aftermath, Trump checked in with allies, including running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and several Fox News hosts. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he spent several hours with Trump and called him “unstoppable.”

Fox News host Sean Hannity recounted on air his conversation with the former president's golf partner, Steve Witkoff.

They had been on the fifth hole and about to go up to putt when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop.” Within seconds, he said Witkoff recounted, Secret Service agents “pounced" on Trump and “covered him” to protect him.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. His campaign had not announced any public plans for Trump on Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf.

Trump has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July. When he is at Trump Tower in New York, parked dump trucks have formed a wall outside the building. At outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind bulletproof glass.

The Florida golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, but there are several areas around the perimeter of the property where golfers are visible from the fence line. Secret Service agents and officers in golf carts and on ATVs generally secure the area several holes ahead and behind Trump. Agents also usually bring an armored vehicle onto the course to shelter Trump quickly should a threat arise.

The Palm Beach County sheriff said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump were the president, but because he is not, “security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”

“I would imagine that the next time he comes to the golf course, there will probably be a little more people around the perimeter," Bradshaw said. “But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done."

Trump was to be briefed in person Monday by acting Secret Service director Ronald Rowe about the investigation into the assassination attempt, according to a person familiar with the plan for the briefing who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for life, but the security around former presidents varies according to threat levels and exposure, with the toughest measures typically being taken in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.

Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some other former presidents because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again.

The man in custody was Ryan Routh, three law enforcement officials told the AP. The officials who identified the suspect spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Records show Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving to Hawaii in 2018. In 2020, he made a social media post backing Trump's reelection, but in more recent years his posts have expressed support for Biden and Harris.

Routh tried to recruit Afghan soldiers fleeing the Taliban to fight in Ukraine, and spent several months in the country, according to an interview with The New York Times last year.

The FBI was leading the investigation and working to determine any motive. Attorney General Merrick Garland was receiving regular updates. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were helping investigate.

“The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump,” the bureau said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said the state would do its own investigation, posting on X that, “The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee.”

News reporters were not with Trump on Sunday. Bucking tradition, Trump’s campaign has not arranged to have a protective pool of reporters travel with him, as is standard for major party nominees and for the president. Harris does not have a protective pool at all times, but does allow reporters to travel with her for public events.

Snyder, the Martin County sheriff, said the suspect was apprehended within minutes of the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office putting out a “very urgent BOLO” — or “be on the lookout” alert.

Snyder said his deputies “immediately flooded” northbound I-95 and “we pinched in on the car, got it safely stopped and got the driver in custody.”

Richer, Long, Tucker and Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Lindsay Whitehurst and Michael Biesecker in Washington, Michael Balsamo, Jill Colvin, Michelle L. Price and Michael R. Sisak in New York, and Meg Kinnard in Houston contributed to this report.