FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY — April 20, 2025, a scathing new lawsuit filed in New York County Supreme Court alleges that the New York Police Department subjected recruit Emilio Andino, a Black male assigned to the Police Academy’s “Hook Company 24-56,” to racial harassment, sexualized abuse, and institutional retaliation due to his familial connection to former NYPD Lieutenant Quathisha Epps—a high-profile whistleblower who publicly accused ex-Chief of Department Jeffrey B. Maddrey of quid pro quo sexual harassment and executive misconduct.
Filed by civil rights attorney Eric Sanders of The Sanders Firm, P.C., the lawsuit asserts that the retaliation against Andino began immediately after Epps filed a Charge of Discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on December 21, 2024, and publicly named Maddrey during a same-day interview with the New York Post.
“This case exemplifies how institutions retaliate not only against whistleblowers—but also those connected to them,” said attorney Eric Sanders. “Andino didn’t violate policy, commit a crime, or fail to perform. He was targeted because of who his aunt is and what she dared to expose.”
Protected Activity Turns to Institutional Backlash
According to the Verified Complaint, Andino was sworn into the NYPD Police Academy on October 30, 2024, and assigned to Hook Company 24-56—an honor extended to recruits with familial NYPD ties. His maternal aunt, former Lieutenant Quathisha Epps, had a well-known record of integrity and had actively guided Andino’s entry into the department.
That changed dramatically on December 21, 2024, when Epps filed a formal EEOC charge naming Maddrey and detailing a pattern of sexual coercion, institutional favoritism, and executive retaliation. On the same day, she gave an on-the-record interview to the New York Post.
By the following morning, Andino’s experience inside the Academy shifted from pride to paranoia. Rumors swirled about his aunt’s sexual history. Recruits and instructors alike made degrading comments, suggesting nude photos and sex tapes of Epps were circulating. Instructors said nothing. Fellow recruits whispered in hallways and locker rooms, and Andino became a proxy target in what the lawsuit describes as “an institutional campaign of reprisal.”
A Racially Charged Confrontation
The lawsuit focuses on a critical incident that occurred on April 1, 2025, involving fellow recruit Bahron Asliev, a white male who had repeatedly made racially hostile comments throughout the Academy. Witnesses allegedly heard Asliev use the phrase: “Act like a n****, get treated like a n*****.”*
On that day, during a courtroom testimony training exercise on the sixth floor of the Academy, Andino gave Asliev feedback following the drill. Asliev exploded in response, reportedly saying: “Well if you could’ve done better, why didn’t you volunteer? You’re just a p**** and a bitch.”
As the class was dismissed and recruits moved down the stairwell, Asliev continued the abuse. On the third-floor landing, he confronted Andino face-to-face, saying: “What are you going to do if I don’t shut up?” When they reached the first floor, Asliev escalated again, stating: “You and your 12-year-old son can suck my d***.”
In shock, Andino raised his hands to create distance. His hand made incidental contact with Asliev’s face. That moment became the pretext for immediate and one-sided disciplinary action.
A Biased and Retaliatory Investigation
The complaint alleges that supervising sergeant JOHN DOE 1 rushed in failed to ask any questions, and immediately began treating Andino as the aggressor. Surveillance cameras line the stairwells and lobby, yet no one—including Internal Affairs, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, or Academy staff—reviewed the footage.
Lieutenant Elizabeth M. Laboy and Lieutenant Jose L. Caraballo arrived next. Instead of conducting a neutral inquiry, they allegedly spent “inordinate amounts of time” with Asliev, comforting him and casting him as a victim. Meanwhile, Andino was isolated, closely monitored, and reportedly denied even a basic wellness check. His 12-year-old son, present that day, was left unattended.
Hours later, around 12:30 a.m. on April 2, PBA Delegate Brian T. Henry and a PBA attorney met with Andino. After hearing his full account, they allegedly advised him to resign, warning that failure to do so would result in permanent exclusion from City employment. Neither Henry nor the PBA attorney contacted Internal Affairs or OEI, violating clear NYPD protocols.
At approximately 12:45 a.m., Andino was formally interviewed by an investigative unit, including JOHN DOES 2–5 and a supervising JOHN DOE 6, believed to be a chief. Present for the interview were Henry and Tynan. Despite Andino’s clear and complete statement, he was immediately suspended without pay. No disciplinary action was taken against Asliev.
Systemic Silence: Witnesses Intimidated
The complaint details how other recruits each overheard Asliev bragging about provoking Andino and using racial epithets. One recruit, shocked by the comment “If you act like a n****, get treated like a n*****,”* confronted Asliev. Yet none of the three officers reported the behavior.
Why? According to the lawsuit, they had witnessed what happened to Andino—how speaking up would end a career before it even began. NYPD training emphasized reporting, but NYPD culture discouraged it.
Different Commissioner, Same Result: From Sewell to Tisch—All Under Adams, Retaliation Still Rules the NYPD
Despite a rapid succession of police commissioners under Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD’s entrenched culture of retaliation has remained untouched. From Keechant Sewell to Edward A. Caban, then Thomas G. Donlon, and now Jessica Tisch, the leadership may have changed. Still, the department’s treatment of those who dare to challenge power, especially whistleblowers and their families, has not.
Commissioner Keechant Sewell, the first woman to lead the NYPD, presided over the early period of internal tension involving Maddrey. Despite being aware of Epps’ complaints and the growing friction, she took no public or institutional steps to curb the retaliatory culture that was forming in response.
Edward A. Caban succeeded her in July 2023. As the department’s first Latino commissioner, there was hope for reform, but Caban’s brief tenure showed continued deference to internal politics.
On September 13, 2024, Thomas G. Donlon—a former FBI counterterrorism agent—was appointed as Police Commissioner following the resignation of Edward A. Caban. According to the lawsuit, it was during Donlon’s brief tenure that the retaliatory environment inside the NYPD Police Academy escalated significantly. Despite rising internal concerns and Andino’s worsening treatment, no institutional safeguards were implemented. No protocols were enforced. No inquiries were launched. Under Donlon’s leadership, the department failed to intervene, allowing harassment, bias, and retaliation to deepen unchallenged.
By the time Jessica Tisch was appointed in late November 2024, Andino had already been suspended without pay, his reputation tarnished, and no action was taken against the fellow recruit who had allegedly harassed him. Under Tisch’s command, nothing changed. Video evidence wasn’t reviewed. Witness statements weren’t gathered. The Office of Equity and Inclusion remained silent. The institutional message, according to the lawsuit, was clear: protecting whistleblowers-or their relatives—was not a priority.
“Andino’s case shows us what happens when leadership becomes a revolving door, but the machinery of retaliation never stops turning,” said Sanders. “Sewell ignored it. Caban enabled it. Donlon was compromised. Tisch refused to act. And through it all, Mayor Adams stood at the helm, watching his department punish the innocent.”
Although the lawsuit formally names Maddrey, numerous officers, and the City of New York, its implications extend well beyond the individual defendants. It asks a fundamental question of the Adams administration: How many more changes in title will it take before someone takes responsibility?
“The message under Adams has been consistent,” Sanders concluded. “It’s never about reform. It’s about self-protection. And anyone—even a young recruit—who threatens that culture becomes expendable.”
Maddrey’s Central Role
The complaint reserves particular condemnation for Maddrey, who retired from the NYPD in December 2024, just days after Epps’ complaint and the Post article went public.
As Chief of Department, Maddrey wielded significant authority over training, internal discipline, and the Academy’s chain of command. The complaint alleges that he had direct knowledge of the retaliation against Epps and made no attempt to mitigate foreseeable harm to her family. His failure to act, the lawsuit claims, functioned as a “tacit endorsement of reprisal.”
The complaint also reveals that Maddrey had a lengthy disciplinary record, including substantiated findings by the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) and a 2017 internal guilty plea related to obstructing an investigation involving an alleged “consensual” sexual relationship with a subordinate. Despite this, Maddrey continued to rise through the ranks of the NYPD.
Andino’s lawsuit follows separate pending lawsuits involving Maddrey, filed by Captain Gabrielle Walls and advocate Dana Rachlin, both of whom allege retaliation tied to sexual harassment or whistleblowing.
The Legal Claims
The Verified Complaint asserts eight causes of action under the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) and New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL), including:
Race Discrimination
Gender Discrimination
Hostile Work Environment
Retaliation
Aiding and Abetting by supervisors and peers
Andino seeks compensatory and punitive damages, a declaratory judgment, and attorneys’ fees. He has not brought federal constitutional claims at this stage.
“This was not an internal misunderstanding—it was a calculated, institutional response to a whistleblower’s family member,” said Sanders. “The City has to reckon with how it retaliates not just directly, but through proxy punishment.”
A Department-Wide Crisis of Accountability
The press release concludes with a broader call for transparency, accountability, and reform. The NYPD’s retaliatory culture, the complaint argues, doesn’t merely silence victims—it discourages witnesses, protects misconduct, and perpetuates discriminatory systems.
“This case is about more than Emilio Andino,” said Sanders. “It’s about what happens when a department tolerates misconduct at the top, punishes truth-tellers, and makes compliance a condition of survival.”
As of today, the case remains pending in New York County Supreme Court.
Contact:
For media inquiries, legal commentary, or to support Mr. Andino’s case, contact:
The Sanders Firm, P.C.
30 Wall Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10005
Phone: 212-652-2782
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Read the Verified Complaint