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New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban has resigned days after federal agents raided his home, his brother's and other city officials and seized their electronic devices.
In a resignation letter shared with Fox News, Caban wrote that rank and file officers deserved leadership without distractions.
"I have therefore decided it is in the best interest of the Department that I resign as Commissioner," he told Fox News Digital in a statement through his attorneys. "After 30 years of service to this city, I hold immense respect and gratitude for its brave officers, and must put their interests before my own. I believe firmly in the vital role of leaders with integrity, who, by example, demonstrate the difference between right and wrong every day. I will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation."
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban attend a news conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York City, U.S., April 3, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
Big Apple Mayor Eric Adams said during an early afternoon news briefing that he had accepted Caban's resignation, which came about 14 months after his predecessor also resigned from the department.
"This is the best decision at this time," Adams said. "I respect his decision and I wish him well."
In a statement, Caban's attorneys Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski told Fox News Digital that the former commissioner had made the safety of New Yorkers his life's work and that he is not the target of the federal probe.
NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban has resigned amid federal probe. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"We have been informed by the government that he is not a target of any investigation being conducted by the Southern District of New York, and he expects to cooperate fully with the government," they said.
Other people in Adams' orbit have also been swept up in the federal investigation.
New York Mayor Eric Adams makes public safety and quality-of-life-related announcement at 14th Street Y. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Sources told Fox News Digital that Caban's twin brother, James, was also under investigation in connection with his nightlife consulting business.
Rumors of a pending resignation have swirled for days in connection with the Caban raids. Federal agents served warrants on three other high-ranking Adams aides on the same day – First Deputy Mayor Sheena Right, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III, and Timoth Pearson, a former NYPD official turned mayoral adviser.
James Caban poses in front of the New York City skyline. (James Caban/Facebook)
Last year, federal agents seized Adams' devices as he was leaving an event in Manhattan and raided the home of one of his top fundraisers. Adams has denied any wrongdoing, but confirmed last month he had received a subpoena from federal prosecutors and said he and his team are cooperating.
Adams told reporters little Tuesday in response to repeated questions about Caban's fitness for the job or whether he should resign, but said he had full confidence in the NYPD as a whole.
New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward Caban speaks at a press conference while holding up chains and a lock removed by officers during their operation to clear protesters from Columbia University, where a building occupation and protest encampment had been set up in support of Palestinians, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, U.S., May 1, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
"What's important to me, and the reason I keep saying NYPD, because Commissioner Caban is part of a team there, and an entire team has to function," he said. "One person does not determine the success of the New York City Police Department."
The New York Post reported Wednesday that one of Caban's top aides has suspected ties to the Chinese Communist Party and worked for a group that spreads Chinese propaganda in the United States. It's the latest in a string of China-linked officials in New York politics.
Mayor Eric Adams, right, is flanked by deputy mayor Sheena Wright, left, during a press conference at City Hall in New York, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
Last month, prosecutors secured an indictment for Linda Sun, a former top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul who is accused of being a Communist agent, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering.
Winnie Greco, another Adams aide, was also raided in connection with a campaign fundraising investigation.
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Adams appointed Caban as the NYPD's first Hispanic commissioner last July.
He has been replaced by Interim Commissioner Tom Donlon, a retired FBI agent who previously led the National Threat Center and oversaw the Terrorism Watch List.
Fox News' Landon Mion, Maria Paronich and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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