NEW YORK (AP) — Embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Monday that he’s accepted the resignation of his deputy mayor for public safety, Philip Banks, the latest senior official to leave as the mayor fends off an indictment and calls to step down.
Adams said on TV station NY1 that Banks had told him Sunday that “he wants to transition to some other things" and "doesn't want this to be a constant burden on the work that we're doing in the city.” The mayor added, “I wish my good friend well.”
The resignation, first reported in the New York Post, comes one month after federal agents seized devices from top city officials including Banks and his brother, schools chancellor David Banks, who also announced his resignation. In total, five top administration officials have left the administration in the last month.
Federal prosecutors have said they are pursuing “several related investigations” in addition to the case against the mayor, who was indicted late last month on charges of accepting illegal campaign contributions and bribes from foreign nationals. He has pleaded not guilty.
In a separate probe, federal prosecutors are scrutinizing whether a consulting firm run by a third Banks brother, Terence, broke the law by leveraging his family connections to help private companies secure city contracts, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose information about the investigations.
All three Banks brothers have denied wrongdoing. An attorney for Philip Banks, Benjamin Brafman, said Monday that federal prosecutors had assured him his client was not a target of the investigation. He said prosecutors were initially scrutinizing “insignificant” Zelle payments between the brothers that were actually related to poker games.
The Justice Department's definition of a target is notoriously fluid. Prior to Adams' indictment, the city's top legal counsel, who has also since resigned, told reporters that the mayor did not appear to be a target of the investigation.
Adams has rebuffed calls to resign, brushing off concern about his ability to govern as he mounts his legal defense and contends with an exodus of top aides. “I am confident when the true story gets out and not a one-sided version, New Yorkers are going to see that we can stay focused and get the job done,” he said Monday.
But he is facing mounting pressure to clean house in his administration, including from Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who has the power to remove him from office.
Adams appointed Philip Banks in 2022 as deputy for public safety, a role not seen in New York since the 1990s that gave him wide influence over the nation’s largest police and fire departments.
Banks had previously served as the NYPD’s highest-ranking uniformed member, but resigned abruptly in 2014 after becoming ensnared in another corruption scandal that shook City Hall.
In that case, federal investigators obtained approval to wiretap his phone amid questions about $300,000 that wound up in bank accounts belonging to him and his wife. Two businessmen were later convicted of bribing police officers and other officials. Banks was not charged but was named as an unindicted co-conspirator.
He later acknowledged accepting gifts from the businessmen — including overseas travel, meals and cigars — that were mistakenly omitted from disclosure forms.
“I never broke the law, nor did I ever betray the public trust by abusing my authority as an NYPD official,” he wrote in a guest essay announcing his return to public service under Adams.
Adams has been a friend of the Banks brothers since the 1980s, when the future mayor was a young police officer and their father, Philip Banks Jr., was a law enforcement mentor.
On Thursday, Adams announced that David Banks would cease running the schools system on Oct. 16, and not at the end of the calendar year as previously announced. In a statement, David Banks said he had planned to continue serving through the end of the year “to conduct a responsible transition for our staff,” but that Adams had “decided to accelerate that timeline.”
In addition to seizing the phones of the three Banks brothers, federal investigators also took devices from the city's police commissioner, Edward Caban, and one of Adams’ closest aides, Timothy Pearson. Both men have since stepped down. Caban and Pearson have both denied wrongdoing.
At a press briefing last month, Adams spoke of his close ties to the Banks brothers.
“I’ve known the Banks families for years,” he said. “And my knowing someone, I hold them to the same standard that I hold myself to.”
In this courtroom sketch, New York Mayor Eric Adams' defense attorney Alex Spiro, left, speaks at the podium as Adams is seated at right at the defense table during a hearing in Manhattan federal court, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams arrives to court in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
FILE - New York City Police Dept. Chief of Department Philip Banks attends a news conference, in New York, Jan. 30, 2014. (AP Photo/File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tempers flared on the field and in the stands at Dodger Stadium, with rowdy fans tossing baseballs, apparently at San Diego left fielder Jurickson Profar, and then trash that caused a 12-minute wait between pitches during the seventh inning of the Padres' 10-2 win in NL Division Series Game 2 on Sunday night.
“That's just not acceptable,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said.
There were words exchanged between Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty and Padres slugger Manny Machado, who took exception to Flaherty hitting Fernando Tatis Jr.
“Well, shoot, I’ve seen over a thousand games here, well over a thousand games in this ballpark, and I’ve never seen anything like that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It was ugly.”
Profar had robbed Mookie Betts of a home run in the first inning, reaching into the stands behind the low left-field wall. Left field umpire Adrian Johnson circled his arm signaling a home run.
But Profar battled the outstretched arms of fans, reeling in the ball on the webbing of his glove and helping spark the Padres to evening the best-of-five series at one game each.
“He tried," Profar said of a fan who tried to snatch the ball. "I dunked on him.”
Profar hopped away backward as he stared at the astonished fans, then threw the ball to the infield. Later, there were verbal exchanges between fans and Profar.
“He said the fans out there were trying to get it out of his glove,” Padres slugger Manny Machado said. “What a hell of a catch to start off the game."
With San Diego leading 4-1 and Yu Darvish warming up for the bottom of the seventh, fans appeared to be yelling at Profar, who motioned back at them with his right arm.
A couple of balls were thrown. Johnson came up to him, soon joined by Shildt, San Diego players and more umpires. Profar yelled and pointed before teammate Xander Bogaerts put an arm around him and Padres players, including Darvish, formed a huddle.
“Yes, I was upset. You can hurt somebody,” Profar said. “I hope our people in San Diego don’t do that.”
Profar said Dodgers fans “wanted to start throwing stuff on the field yesterday.”
Roberts said, "Obviously there’s a lot of emotions and things like that. But that’s something that should never happen.”
Dodgers security staff attempted to identify the fans who caused the trouble. Officer Drake Madison, an LAPD spokesperson, said “there were no arrests and no radio calls.”
“We were looking for a higher security presence out in the left-field corner to ensure that that behavior didn’t continue and to make sure that if anybody did throw anything out on the field they would be identified immediately and removed from the stadium,” umpire crew chief Dan Bellino said.
Public address announcer Todd Leitz told the crowd: “We ask that you do not throw objects onto the field.”
“You’re in a tough environment,” Machado said. “You’re going to get some things said to you but once you start throwing things onto the field that’s just uncalled for.”
There was trash on the warning track in right field near the Padres bullpen.
“Now we had a second instance that was happening at a different part of the stadium, so we just had to reiterate with security that we needed an enhanced security out in right field as well,” Bellino said.
After the seventh inning, Machado gathered his teammates for a brief meeting in their dugout.
Machado said his message was “just stay focused.”
Flaherty hit Tatis with a pitch in the sixth inning, and Profar exchanged words with Dodgers catcher Will Smith.
“You can’t get him out, don’t hit him,” Machado said. “They got the best player in the game, (Shohei) Ohtani. We don’t go out there and try to hit Ohtani. We try to get him out.”
Flaherty struck Machado out swinging with Tatis and another runner on in the sixth.
“He did some s—- in between innings. He threw a ball at our dugout,” Flaherty said. “There was no reason for that.”
Asked about Flaherty's accusation, Machado said, “I throw balls all the time into dugouts. Both dugouts. They have bad balls, you throw the ball back in there.”
Bellino said the situation never escalated to the point umpires considered directing players off the field.
“We would not hesitate to do that if we thought that their safety was in jeopardy,” he said. “And if that was to proceed, then obviously it would be referred to the commissioner’s pffice to see if a potential forfeit would be called for.”
The best-of-five series moves to Petco Park for Game 3 on Tuesday.
“We’re about to go back to San Diego with a very, very loud, raucous, aggressive, hungry crowd that’s going to be super-excited and going to be getting after it,” Shildt said, before borrowing a line from the Will Ferrell comedy “Anchorman.”
“But I know also that we’ll stay classy, San Diego.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. is hit by a pitch during the sixth inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar, left, is held back by teammates after he protested with umpires when items were thrown at him in the outfield during the seventh inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar, second from right, and third baseman Manny Machado talk to the umpires after items were thrown at Profar in the outfield during the seventh inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt (8) and players talk to umpires after items were thrown on the field by fans during the seventh inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Fans react toward San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar, foreground, after items were thrown at him in the outfield during the seventh inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Padres, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar, right, talks to umpire Adrian Johnson after items were thrown at Profar in the outfield during the seventh inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish, middle right, talks with third baseman Manny Machado (13), shortstop Xander Bogaerts, middle left, and catcher Kyle Higashioka on the mound during the sixth inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
