FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
One captain allegedly pursued her sexually. Another promised protection, then exploited her. A new lawsuit exposes allegations of sexual harassment, supervisory abuse, and retaliation.
Yonkers, NY — October 21, 2026 — Eric Sanders, Esq., The Sanders Firm, P.C., has filed a Summons with Verified Complaint in New York State Supreme Court, New York County, on behalf of Maria A. Delacruz, a New York City Police Department officer who alleges that her attempts to escape sexual harassment instead exposed her to further exploitation, intimidation, and retaliation by the very commanding officers entrusted with protecting her.
The lawsuit names the City of New York, Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, Deputy Chief Steven M. Mauriello, Deputy Inspector Amanjeet S. Sandhu, Deputy Inspector Tamecca Greene, Lieutenant Maria I. Franco, and Police Officer Rosario E. Montero as defendants.
At the center of the lawsuit is a disturbing allegation: within the NYPD’s supervisory hierarchy, a female officer’s professional future became entangled with a commanding officer’s unwanted sexual interest, workplace rumors about her supposed sexual availability, and a second commanding officer who allegedly exploited her vulnerability while discouraging further discussion of the misconduct she had experienced.
The complaint describes an institutional environment in which supervisory rank allegedly operated as protection for the accused and a weapon against the employee who complained.
The Captain Who Wanted a Lover Instead of a Police Officer
According to the verified complaint, then-Captain Amanjeet S. Sandhu, formerly the commanding officer of Transit District 1 in Manhattan, initially established Delacruz’s trust by protecting her from hostile supervisors, approving scheduling accommodations, and selecting her as his driver and assistant.
But what Delacruz believed was professional assistance allegedly became something considerably more troubling.
On October 11, 2023, Sandhu allegedly declared his love for Delacruz and told her that he wanted her to regard him as a lover rather than her commanding officer.
The complaint details a progression of unwanted conduct, including sexually explicit remarks about her “big Dominican booty,” comments about her breasts, intrusive questions about masturbation and her sexual activities, changing clothes in her presence, attempting to kiss her, and sending unsolicited sexually explicit material.
At a December 2023 departmental Christmas party, Sandhu allegedly grabbed Delacruz’s arm and insisted that she accompany him.
Delacruz rejected his advances.
Yet the professional consequences of his attention allegedly followed her throughout the command.
Rather than being recognized for her police work, Delacruz became the subject of rumors portraying her as sexually involved with her commanding officer.
For a Hispanic female officer of Dominican national origin, the lawsuit alleges, professional assistance from a senior male supervisor became an invitation for coworkers to question her character, diminish her accomplishments, and reduce her identity to sexual stereotypes.
The Locker-Room Confrontation: The Woman Became the Accused
The hostility allegedly culminated on July 17, 2024, when Police Officer Rosario E. Montero confronted Delacruz inside the women’s locker room while Delacruz was partially undressed.
Montero allegedly accused her of “fucking the captain” and approached her aggressively.
Delacruz reported the confrontation, seeking protection from an increasingly hostile workplace.
According to the complaint, then-Inspector Steven M. Mauriello, who exercised command authority over Transit Borough Manhattan, was aware of the sexual rumors.
When Delacruz confronted him, he allegedly responded:
“I’m not the only one saying that. Everyone here thinks that.”
That response captures the institutional problem at the center of the lawsuit.
The subordinate officer was allegedly being humiliated over speculation concerning her relationship with a commanding officer who had pursued her sexually. Yet rather than addressing the conduct of those perpetuating the allegations, supervisory personnel allegedly treated the rumors as an accepted feature of the workplace.
The complaint also identifies Lieutenant Maria I. Franco’s earlier supervisory hostility and sexually suggestive remarks as part of the conditions that preceded the confrontation.
She Was Promised Protection. Instead, Another Captain Allegedly Exploited Her.
Seeking to escape Transit District 1, Delacruz accepted a transfer to Transit District 32 in Brooklyn under then-Captain Tamecca Greene.
Greene allegedly promised to take care of Delacruz, referring to her as “our baby girl” and assuring her that nobody would bother her.
But shortly after Delacruz arrived, Greene allegedly instructed her:
“I do not want to hear anything about what happened in TD1. This is a fresh start for you. You hear me?”
The complaint alleges that Greene isolated Delacruz from ordinary supervisory relationships and directed that she take orders exclusively from Greene.
What was presented as protection allegedly became personal control.
Greene reportedly required Delacruz to purchase coffee and office supplies, clean command areas, perform personal errands, and assume supervisory responsibilities.
On August 24, 2024, Greene allegedly ordered Delacruz to attend a mandatory meeting at the 73rd Precinct on Greene’s behalf and take notes while Greene remained in her office.
Then came an allegation that raises serious questions about supervisory accountability and the integrity of official NYPD attendance practices.
Why Was a Police Captain Having a Subordinate Scan Her Identification Card?
According to the complaint, during August and September 2024, Greene repeatedly ordered Delacruz to take Greene’s official NYPD identification card and scan it into the Department’s attendance system to record Greene as present for duty.
Delacruz alleges that Greene was physically present somewhere within the building during these occasions but that she did not know how long Greene remained there or whether the recorded attendance corresponded to Greene’s actual duty hours.
The lawsuit does not establish that Greene was absent from the building or that she received compensation for time she did not work.
Nevertheless, the allegation presents a significant question: Why was a commanding officer directing a subordinate to complete official attendance transactions using the commanding officer’s identification card?
The answer should be ascertainable from the Department’s attendance records, electronic transaction histories, duty rosters, and other available evidence.
The alleged practice is particularly troubling because Delacruz claims that she was simultaneously dependent upon Greene for protection from the sexual harassment and supervisory hostility she had experienced at her previous command.
When Protection Became Punishment
According to the complaint, Greene’s treatment changed after Delacruz’s transfer became official.
Greene allegedly asserted that Delacruz belonged to her and invoked her position as a Black female captain to suggest that Delacruz would not be believed if she complained.
Delacruz subsequently experienced repeated tour changes, interference with childcare arrangements, conflicts involving her graduate education and military obligations, and disciplinary scrutiny.
Following a September 19, 2024 line-of-duty injury to her right shoulder, Delacruz alleges that command personnel interfered with her medical treatment and subjected her to further scrutiny.
On November 8, 2024, she was issued two Command Disciplines during proceedings that allegedly caused her to miss a scheduled physical therapy appointment.
The lawsuit further alleges that Sandhu remained in communication with Greene and reported that Greene wanted to “break” Delacruz down.
Delacruz ultimately obtained an assignment outside Greene’s command, where she reportedly received a favorable performance evaluation and was able to attend medical treatment without comparable interference.
But her relief was temporary.
After returning to Transit District 32 in 2025, Delacruz alleges that renewed scheduling conflicts, threats of suspension, and opposition to her requests for reassignment contributed to severe emotional distress.
By September 2025, following an extended J’ouvert assignment and substantial sleep deprivation, she sought intervention from the Employee Assistance Unit and surrendered her departmental firearms.
A police officer who had sought protection from sexual harassment had allegedly reached the point where she could no longer tolerate the working conditions imposed upon her.
An Accomplished Officer Reduced to Sexual Rumors and Supervisory Control
The lawsuit concerns an officer whose professional record stands in marked contrast to the degrading workplace characterizations she allegedly endured.
Delacruz entered the NYPD in July 2021 after previously serving as a correction officer.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and subsequently completed a Master of Arts in Emergency Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a 3.7 grade point average.
On September 28, 2026, she was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.
Despite her education, military service, and law-enforcement experience, Delacruz alleges that NYPD supervisors repeatedly treated her professional standing as secondary to speculation concerning her appearance, sexuality, and relationships with commanding officers.
Eric Sanders: “Supervisory Rank Is Not a License for Sexual Entitlement or Personal Exploitation”
Eric Sanders, Esq., President of The Sanders Firm, P.C., stated:
“The allegations in this lawsuit expose a culture of debauchery in which supervisory authority allegedly became a shield for misconduct and a weapon against a subordinate female police officer.
“One commanding officer allegedly wanted Delacruz to become his lover. Another promised to protect her, then allegedly treated her as a personal assistant and directed her to record the captain’s attendance using the captain’s own NYPD identification card.
“When Delacruz became the target of sexually degrading rumors, a senior commander allegedly responded that everyone believed she was sleeping with the captain. Apparently, discussing a female officer’s supposed sexual relationship was easier than confronting the supervisory behavior that generated the controversy.
“The Department cannot maintain two standards of accountability: one for rank-and-file officers and another for executives whose misconduct allegedly disappears behind rank, relationships, and institutional influence.
“Sexual harassment is not a leadership privilege. A police captain’s rank is not a license to pursue a subordinate sexually, demand personal services, or use departmental systems for personal convenience.
“And a woman who complains about sexual harassment should not have to surrender her professional dignity, educational ambitions, medical treatment, or career simply because the people she complained about possess greater rank.
“The question is not whether the NYPD has written policies prohibiting sexual harassment and retaliation. The question is whether the Department is prepared to enforce those policies against its own commanding officers.”
The Lawsuit
The Summons with Verified Complaint asserts eight causes of action under the New York State Human Rights Law and the New York City Human Rights Law, alleging discrimination, sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and retaliation.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages against the individual defendants to the extent authorized by law, attorneys’ fees, and appropriate declaratory and equitable relief.
The allegations remain contested and have not been adjudicated by a court.
About The Sanders Firm, P.C.
The Sanders Firm, P.C. is a New York-based law firm focused on civil rights, immigration, employment discrimination, police misconduct, and other high-stakes matters. Its founder and president, Eric Sanders, Esq., is a retired NYPD officer who brings a rare inside perspective to the intersection of government power, public institutions, enforcement discretion, and constitutional accountability.
For more than twenty years, Sanders has counseled thousands of clients and handled complex matters involving police use of force, sexual harassment, retaliation, systemic discrimination, immigration consequences, and related civil-rights violations. He is widely recognized as a leading New York civil-rights attorney and a prominent voice on evidence-based policing, institutional accountability, equal justice, and rights-based immigration advocacy.
Media Contact
Eric Sanders, Esq.
The Sanders Firm, P.C.
30 Wall Street, 8th Floor
New York, New York 10005
(212) 652-2782
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Read the Summons with Verified Complaint
