Tag: New York City Police Department [NYPD]

New York’s Wealthiest Furious as Mamdani Gains Momentum Toward City Hall
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. © Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
As the Big Apple’s mayoral race barrels toward its November climax, Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani is surging ahead with a platform that promises to upend the city’s status quo—free buses, rent freezes, and a war on “inequity” that could spell doom for proven educational programs like gifted and talented classes. But while Mamdani’s populist pandering has captivated the outer boroughs’ disaffected youth, it’s sending shockwaves through Manhattan’s elite corridors, where hedge fund titans and real estate moguls are whispering in Pilates studios and over caviar: “How dare he?” The city’s 1% are realizing their once-ironclad influence is slipping away, and in a town built on ambition and opportunity, that’s a bitter pill to swallow. “It’s hard to be chill and relaxed,” one Upper East Side podcaster lamented, encapsulating the unease among New York’s wealthiest as they brace for a potential Mamdani mayoralty that could hike taxes, embolden criminals, and dismantle the merit-based systems that made the city a global powerhouse.
From a conservative vantage, this isn’t just a local election—it’s a referendum on whether New York will cling to the free-market principles that fueled its resurgence under leaders like Rudy Giuliani or slide into the failed socialist experiments of Bill de Blasio’s era. Mamdani’s lead in polls—46% to Andrew Cuomo’s 33% and Curtis Sliwa’s 15%, per a recent Quinnipiac survey—highlights a troubling divide: a candidate who once called to “defund” and “dismantle” the NYPD now backpedaling with apologies, while vowing to phase out gifted programs in the name of “equity.” Meanwhile, battle-tested conservatives like Sliwa hammer home the basics: more cops, less crime, and real accountability. As billionaires like Bill Ackman rally against the tide, pouring millions into anti-Mamdani PACs, the question looms: Can the city’s engines of prosperity halt this leftward lurch before it’s too late?
Fiery Debate Exposes Mamdani’s Outsider Gamble
The sparks flew October 16 at 30 Rockefeller Center, where Mamdani, independent Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa clashed in a debate co-hosted by POLITICO, NBC 4 New York, and Telemundo 47—the first since Mayor Eric Adams bowed out amid scandals on September 28. With the city’s cost-of-living index at a staggering 148.2—second only to Honolulu—and housing prices 1.5 times the national average, affordability dominated the night.
Mamdani, the 33-year-old Queens assemblyman and son of acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, leaned hard into his “everyman” credentials: “I have the experience of being a New Yorker, someone who has actually paid rent in the city before I ran for mayor,” he quipped, touting his $2,300 rent-stabilized apartment. But critics see hypocrisy—there’s no income test for such units, and Mamdani’s pledge to freeze rents on over a million stabilized apartments could cripple landlords and exacerbate the housing crunch conservatives warn about.
Cuomo, the battle-scarred ex-governor who resigned in 2021 amid unproven harassment claims he calls “political and false,” countered with gravitas: “I built affordable housing all across this nation. I know how to get it done.” Promising 5,000 more NYPD officers with “revenue neutral” funding, Cuomo admitted learning from his primary loss to Mamdani—beefing up his TikTok game—while insisting, “I am the Democrat.”
Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and 2021 runner-up to Adams, embodied the no-nonsense conservatism New York needs: “I will hire the very brightest and best… We don’t have enough cops,” he thundered, citing a same-day robbery of an elderly woman on 86th Street. Despite a 5.7% drop in major crimes year-over-year, Sliwa’s call for law-and-order resonates in a city weary of progressive leniency.
Mamdani’s “free buses” pitch—replacing MTA revenue to cut assaults on drivers—sounds appealing but reeks of fiscal fantasy to right-lean observers. A second debate looms next week, but with Mamdani eyeing history as the first Muslim and Indian American mayor, conservatives fear a socialist stranglehold unless voters wake up.
Apology Tour: Mamdani’s NYPD Mea Culpa Rings Hollow
In a calculated pivot, Mamdani appeared on Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum” Wednesday, issuing his first broad apology to the NYPD for 2020 rants labeling them “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety” and demanding to “defund” and “dismantle” the force. “Absolutely, I’ll apologize to police officers right here,” he said, blaming the rhetoric on post-George Floyd “anger and frustration.” Now, he claims, representing Queens has taught him to “deliver safety” alongside justice.
But Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry wasn’t buying it: “Elected leaders’ words matter, but their actions matter more.” Hendry spotlighted assaults on officers and rights trampled by the Civilian Complaint Review Board—issues Mamdani’s plan to slash overtime and disband the Strategic Response Group would exacerbate. Conservatives see this as election-year theater: Mamdani still vows a “Department of Community Safety” for mental health calls, a soft-on-crime Trojan horse that could hamstring cops.
In the same interview, Mamdani stared down the camera at President Trump—who’s threatened to yank federal funds and even arrest him: “I want to speak directly to the president… I’m ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living.” Trump, per a spokesperson, wasn’t watching, but the gesture underscores Mamdani’s national ambitions amid his anti-Israel stances, including pledging to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.
DEI Overdrive: Mamdani’s Assault on Gifted Education
Adding fuel to the fire, Mamdani is reviving Bill de Blasio’s failed bid to scrap NYC’s gifted and talented programs, deeming them “highly segregated” and pledging to phase them out for “equity.” This aligns with a leftist trend nationwide—scrapping merit-based classes because they enroll too many white and Asian students, opting for “broader enrichment” that dilutes standards.
Critics like Erin Wilcox of the Pacific Legal Foundation call it “racial balance… just a word for discrimination,” potentially violating the 14th Amendment. In districts like Montgomery County, Md., and Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson High, similar tweaks tanked Asian enrollment and school rankings—Thomas Jefferson plummeted from No. 1 to 14 nationally.
Cuomo counters with expansion: more gifted classes in every borough and eight new specialized high schools. Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s Michael J. Petrilli blasts Mamdani’s disdain for early assessments: “If Mamdani really cares about ‘equity,’ he would work to expand gifted education… not work to end it.” To conservatives, this is cultural Marxism run amok—punishing excellence to appease identity politics, robbing bright kids of opportunities in a city that thrives on merit.
Elite Panic: Billionaires Brace for the Guillotine
The real story? Mamdani’s rise has New York’s elite in full meltdown. From Upper East Side Pilates chats to Tribeca dinners, the 1% are plotting escapes to Miami or Bedford, fearing tax hikes and chaos. Ackman and Elon Musk have blasted him; one ad mocking lobster-munching socialists went viral in wealthy ZIP codes, eliciting “how dare he?” fury.
A venture capitalist confessed ignorance of youth anger until Mamdani’s primary win; a retired banker quipped, “it’s not as if the guillotine is being rolled into Central Park.” Yet, some cynics root for him, betting failure swings voters right. Mamdani’s overtures—like trimming bureaucracy—fall flat; his giveaways mean someone pays, and it’s not the Hamptons crowd.
As polls tighten, conservatives urge a Cuomo-Sliwa surge to block Mamdani’s utopia. Trump’s shadow looms—federal aid cuts could cripple his plans. If elected, Mamdani’s tenure could be short-lived chaos, but at what cost to the city that never sleeps? New York deserves leaders who build, not redistribute. The elite’s panic? A wake-up call that socialism’s siren song threatens all.
October 19, 2025
Shooter Kills three and Himself and NYPD Officer Didarul Islam
A New York City police officer and three other people were shot and killed inside a Midtown Manhattan office building on Monday evening by a gunman armed with a high-powered rifle, police confirmed.
The suspect, identified as Shane D. Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said surveillance video shows the suspect exiting a double-parked black BMW alone on Park Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets just before 6:30 p.m., carrying an M4 rifle in his right hand. He then entered the 44-story building at 345 Park Ave., turned right and immediately began opening fire on an NYPD officer.
Not long after, multiple 911 calls were received about an active shooter inside the building, Tisch said. The building contains offices for Blackstone, the NFL, KPMG and others.
NYPD Officer Didarul Islam killed in shooting
Didarul Islam, 36, worked out of the 47th Precinct in the Bronx. A four-year veteran of the force, Didarul was on a paid detail Monday as part of a program the NYPD has that allows officers to be employed by private companies to provide extra security, CBS News New York’s Naveen Dhaliwal reported.
© NYPD
Didarul leaves behind a pregnant wife and two young sons, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a late-night news conference.
“He was doing what he does best, and all members of the police department carry out. He was saving lives. He was protecting New Yorkers,” Adams said. “He was an immigrant from Bangladesh and he loved this city. And everyone we spoke with stated he was a person of faith and a person that believed in God and believed in living out the life of a godly person. He embodies what this city is all about. He’s a true-blue New Yorker, not only in a uniform he wore but in his spirit and energy of loving this city.”
NYPD officers stand in line during the dignified transfer of Didarul Islam, who was shot and killed by a gunman Monday evening, out of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Hospital to the medical examiner’s office, early on July 29, 2025, in New York. © ANGELINA KATSANIS / AP
Adams said two men and a woman were also killed in the shooting and another man is in critical condition. The mayor called the shooting “a violent, despicable attack,” adding, “No words can describe this act of evil, a man who takes the life of others who are innocent. And no words can fill the void left by this tragedy.”
The mayor said he met with Islam’s family earlier in the evening and told them how much he was admired for putting his life on the line.
“This was his dad’s only son. I think about Jordan, my child, and it is unimaginable to experience a loss of this magnitude,” Adams said.
The names of the other people killed and the person injured are being withheld, pending family notification.
“Tonight we mourn four New Yorkers, including one of New York’s Finest, taken in an act of senseless violence,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote on social media. “Our hearts are with their loved ones and everyone affected by this tragedy, and we honor the first responders who bravely ran toward danger.”
An NFL employee was seriously wounded and was hospitalized in stable condition, according to a message NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent to employees. The NFL told New York employees to work from home Tuesday while the building remains a crime scene.
What the preliminary investigation reveals
After shooting the officer, the gunman shot a woman who had taken shelter behind a pillar and then proceeded through the lobby, spraying it with gunfire, officials said.
He then made his way to the elevator bank, shooting a security guard who had taken cover behind the security desk. Another man who was wounded told police at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital he was shot in the lobby, Tisch said.
A surveillance photo of the suspected gunman who shot multiple people, including an NYPD officer, in Midtown Manhattan on July 28, 2025. © CBS NEWS NEW YORK
The police commssioner said at one point the gunman was waiting for an elevator to arrive, and when it did, a woman emerged, but he allowed her to walk by unharmed. The gunman then took the elevator to the 33rd floor, the site of Rudin Management, and “began walking the floor, firing rounds as he traveled,” Tisch said, adding one of the victims was shot and killed on that floor.
“He then proceeds down the hallway and shoots himself in the chest,” Tisch said.
What police know about gunman Shane Tamura
Tisch said the vehicle Tamura exited on Park Avenue was registered to him. Inside, officers found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition and magazines, a backpack and medication prescribed to Tamura. No explosives were found.
The commissioner said preliminary findings show Tamura drove the vehicle across the country to get to New York City, traveling through Colorado on Saturday, Nebraska and Iowa on Sunday, and passing through Columbia, New Jersey at 4:24 p.m. on Monday.
A photo of the weapon used by the suspected gunman who opened fire in Midtown Manhattan on July 28, 2025, according to law enforcement sources. © CBS NEWS NEW YORK
According to law enforcement in Las Vegas, Tamura had a documented mental health history, Tisch said.
His motive remains under investigation. Tisch said investigators are working to figure out why he targeted 345 Park Ave. specifically.
After reports of the shooting, the building was placed on lockdown and the area was blocked off, police said.
The suspect, identified as Shane D. Tamura, 27, of Nevada, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, multiple law enforcement sources said. © CBS NEWS NEW YORK
The NYPD and Adams asked the public to avoid the vicinity of East 52nd Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue. Tisch said officers from the NYPD’s Special Operations Division were conducting a secondary sweep of the building.
“I want to be very clear: We believe this to be a lone shooter and there is no longer an active threat to the public,” Tisch said.
“Pure evil came to the heart of our city.”
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry spoke about the shooting and reflected on Islam’s dedication to the NYPD and the city.
“This is a devastating night for our city, for our police department,” Hendry said. “Pure evil came to the heart of our city and struck innocent people and one of our police officers who was protecting those people. We lost four people tonight, and our hero brother, who gave his life for this city. He was a hard-working police officer who was proud, we know from hearing from his family, to put on that shield and the uniform of a New York City police officer. Every day he went out and did his job.”
Hendry said the loss of Islam will serve as a great motivator going forward as the investigation continues.
“The hearts of every New York City police officer right now [are] hurting,” Hendry said. “We’re hurting for our brother police officer who we lost. We’re hurting for that family. We’re hurting for all the victims, and hurting for all the families of the victims. And we’re all asking why? Why did pure evil come here? And we know our police department and our law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to get those answers.”
July 29, 2025
Midtown Office Shooting Leaves 4 Dead, Including Off-Duty Officer; Gunman Dies by Suicide
New York – A 27-year-old man wearing body armor and carrying an M4 assault rifle shot and killed four people, including an off-duty police officer, in a Midtown Manhattan office building Monday evening before killing himself, officials said.
A fifth victim was critically injured in the shooting, officials said. In a statement, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that victim is one of its employees and was listed in critical but stable condition.
The shooting occurred just before 6:30 p.m. in an office building at 345 Park Ave. at East 52nd Street, which contains the headquarters for the investment company Blackstone and the National Football League, sources told ABC News.
The suspect, identified as Shane Tamura, carried a note in his pocket claiming he suffered from CTE, asked that his brain be studied and made references to the NFL, police sources told ABC News.
Police said he had a documented mental health history and played high school football.
The three-page note was described by sources as rambling and contained references to the NFL sources described as vague.
A surveillance photo of the suspected gunman who shot multiple people, including an NYPD officer, in Midtown Manhattan on July 28, 2025. © CBS NEWS NEW YORK
After barricading himself on the 33rd floor, Tamura, a Las Vegas resident, was found dead from what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
During a news conference Monday evening, Tisch said preliminary information suggests the suspect traveled cross-country in a BMW from Las Vegas before arriving in New York City.
Tamura had a license to carry a concealed weapon in the state of Nevada. “We believe this to be a lone shooter,” Tisch said.
Police say Tamura emerged from a double-parked BMW Monday evening with an M4 rifle.
A security camera image shows Tamura holding a long gun and walking outside the office building.
He entered the lobby of the Midtown tower alone and immediately opened fire on an NYPD officer and sprayed the lobby with bullets.
He made his way to the elevator bank, where he shot a security guard, Tisch said. He then went up to the 33rd floor, where he shot another person before shooting himself in the chest, she added.
Detectives are actively trying to determine why the suspect went to the 33rd floor – whether he specifically was headed there or if he simply wound up on that level. Rudin Management, the real-estate company, is located on that floor.
Officers searched the suspect’s vehicle after the shooting, where they found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition and magazines, a backpack, “and medication prescribed to Mr. Tamura,” Tisch said. He had a documented history of mental-health problems, Tisch said.
The motive is currently under investigation, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said earlier on Monday.
In total, four people were shot dead plus the shooter in what Mayor Eric Adams called a “violent, despicable” act.
The deceased included NYPD officer Didarul Islam of the 47th Precinct, who came to the U.S. from Bangladesh and who Adams said he had been on the force almost four years. He was working security in the building while off duty.
“Early tonight, I met with the officer’s family. I told them that he was a hero, and we admire him for putting his life on the line,” Adams said.
Islam was married with two young boys, and his wife was pregnant with a third child.
The officer, and the surviving male civilian were taken to New York Presbyterian, where the civilian is in critical but stable condition.
Two other civilians, one male and female, both killed in the shooting, were taken to Bellevue Hospital. Police say another female was the victim found dead on the 33rd floor.
A witness inside the Midtown office building at the time of the shooting, detailed to NY Budgets what it was like at the scene as colleagues hid in lockdown, unsure of what was unfolding.
A photo from inside the 32nd floor showed how employees barricaded the door.
“The only thing between me and the door was a chair flipped over,” Jessica Chen said of the initial moments of the lockdown. “I texted my parents ‘I love them,’” she continued.
“Nothing can describe that feeling,” Chen added.
Chen went on to say that she recalled doing active shooter drills in school and said she often wondered what she would do in this kind of scenario. “It’s unfortunate that all Americans could think this through,” Chen said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she has been briefed on the situation.
KPMG, an accounting firm that also has offices in the building, released a statement after the shooting, saying, “Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific act and their families.”
“We are incredibly grateful for the bravery of building security and law enforcement,” the company said.
Across the country, several squad cars from Las Vegas Metro Police have convened at entrances to the gated neighborhood where the purported suspect in the midtown Manhattan shooting was believed to have a home.
Detectives will be working throughout the night and the days ahead to piece together a profile of the man responsible.
Investigators are working to see where and when the gunman bought the high-powered rifle used in the rampage.
Detectives are now scrolling through thousands of surveillance cameras to pin point the gunman’s movements, minute by minute.
July 29, 2025
NYPD Assists Federal Agents in Migrant Investigations — But Should It?
In March, a federal investigator asked the New York Police Department for information about a woman who had been arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University and was now detained for overstaying her visa.
The woman, Leqaa Kordia, 32, was being investigated for money laundering, the investigator said, and the Department of Homeland Security needed help. The police handed over her birth date, address and the name of a possible associate. An officer also provided the woman’s sealed arrest report.
But a month later, during an immigration court hearing, the only evidence of money laundering that federal prosecutors presented was a $1,000 MoneyGram transfer that Ms. Kordia had sent to relatives in Gaza.
The judge, Tara Naselow-Nahas, was unimpressed.
“Based on the evidence, I do not find that the respondent poses a danger to the United States,” she said and ordered that Ms. Kordia be released on a $20,000 bond. Ms. Kordia remains at the Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas as prosecutors seek a reversal of the decision.
But the judge’s ruling and questions about the federal government’s credibility have civil libertarians asking whether the Police Department should reconsider its cooperation with the Trump administration.
The city’s sanctuary laws forbid the department from divulging information in immigration cases, which are civil matters, but the police often cooperate with federal authorities on criminal cases, usually in joint investigations into crimes like sex trafficking, drug and gun dealing, and terrorism.
Ms. Kordia’s case is the rarer instance in which federal agents have asked about a criminal inquiry that does not involve a joint investigation. In those cases, the department also expects officers to cooperate, vetting requests through superiors and maintaining a record of information released. But the department has no written guidelines or procedures for assessing such requests beyond a brief description.
Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said Thursday that the police were watching closely to ensure that federal officials were truthful, but that cooperation with agencies like Homeland Security Investigations and the F.B.I. was crucial to keeping New Yorkers safe from terrorism, trafficking and transnational crime.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that smooth cooperation with federal authorities was crucial to keeping New Yorkers safe. (Angelina Katsanis/The New York Times)
“Some have asked whether we should reconsider our cooperation with federal agencies on criminal investigations in light of their work with ICE,” she said during a budget hearing before the City Council, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. “The short, straight answer to this is no.”
“The only way these investigations are successful is by N.Y.P.D. detectives working seamlessly with federal agents on a daily basis,” she added.
But some say the department must ask more and harder questions. They contend that a long-established trust has been breached because federal authorities, struggling to meet President Trump’s demands to deport as many immigrants as possible, are misleading — even lying — to local law enforcement officers and judges.
“The N.Y.P.D. should think through its own systems and its own processes,” said Anne Venhuizen, senior staff attorney for the Bronx Defenders, which represents the indigent in court. “They are potentially violating sanctuary laws by not having a more fulsome practice of verifying that the information they’re getting is accurate.”
Local police officers in other states, predominantly in the South, have cooperated for years as ICE has apprehended people accused of immigration violations. Now, other states are falling in line with Mr. Trump’s demands. On May 22, Gov. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire signed two bills requiring police departments to help ICE.
New York and other cities with sanctuary laws, such as Boston and Chicago, have a trickier path, cooperating on criminal matters but not civil immigration. And events in recent months have cast a shadow on the actions of federal law enforcement.
In March, a judge approved a warrant for ICE agents to search for Yunseo Chung, a Columbia junior who had participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The decision was based on an agent’s sworn statement that the university was breaking a federal law that prohibited the harboring of “removable aliens.” But Ms. Chung is a permanent resident, and her lawyers accused ICE of lying to the judge.
In April, the federal government sued the City of Rochester, in New York, after its Police Department ordered more training for officers who had helped ICE agents handcuff immigrants. City officials have said that immigration officers lied when they called the police on March 24 and said they needed help with an emergency stop on a city road.
In January, police officers in Millcreek, Utah, suspected that ICE agents were lying when they said they had stopped an American man because he had tried to hit them with his car. In fact, the man said, he had honked while the agents were detaining a woman and they pulled him over and pointed a gun at him.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment on the cases.
“This federal government has completely blurred the lines between valid criminal enforcement and immigration enforcement,” said Meghna Philip, director of special litigation at the Legal Aid Society in New York City. “In our present reality, if anything, there should be a presumption of noncooperation with immigration authorities.”
The New York police said that the federal agent who had asked about Ms. Kordia had provided contact information, as well as a name, shield number and case number, and they believed that was sufficient. Commissioner Tisch said Thursday that she had put federal agencies on notice.
“I am nobody’s fool,” she said. “If we were to find that a federal agency had not been honest with us, if we were told that a records request was for a criminal investigation, but in fact that was not true, then that would be a tremendous breach of our trust. And we would need to reconsider how we do business with that federal agency. I have been very upfront about that with all our federal partners.”
Homeland Security Investigations did not return repeated requests for comment.
Pushing back on federal requests would harm cooperation that flourished after the Sept. 11 attacks, said Christopher Mercado, a retired New York police lieutenant who now teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
But, he said, “I’m going to be honest with you: The feds may not always be transparent with the P.D.”
Federal investigators may fear that giving too much information could compromise an investigation or a confidential informant, he said. Historically, local police officers have accepted that.
“Those relationships are always going to be important and we don’t want to burn them,” Mr. Mercado said.
Ms. Kordia, a waitress from Paterson, N.J., who came to the United States from the West Bank in 2016 and lived with her mother, an American citizen, has not been charged with any crimes and is accused only of overstaying her visa.
She went to the demonstration in New York on April 30, 2024. She was accused of blocking a gate and arrested with dozens of other protesters, according to a police report that also said she had no record of criminal complaints or investigations. The report was sealed after her case was dismissed.
Leqaa Kordia was arrested during a protest at Columbia University last year. Even though the charges were dropped, the police still provided information to the federal government.(Amir Hamja/The New York Times)
Court records filed by Ms. Kordia’s lawyers suggest that agents with Homeland Security Investigations did not start looking into her until March, almost a year after her arrest.
From March 5 until March 13, the day she was detained, federal agents interviewed people who knew her, including her mother and uncle.
They set up a trace on her WhatsApp account and subpoenaed records from MoneyGram, according to court documents. She had sent the $1,000 to her aunt on behalf of her mother, who could not figure out how to send the funds through MoneyGram, according to her family and lawyers.
After Ms. Kordia learned that ICE wanted to question her, she hired a lawyer and they went to the agency’s Newark field office to explain. But her lawyer was barred from the meeting and Ms. Kordia was immediately detained and put on a plane to Texas.
The following day, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, accused Ms. Kordia of taking part in “pro-Hamas protests,” and the federal investigator asked the New York Police Department about the supposed money laundering investigation.
An officer who works at the police’s Real Time Crime Center, a hub that provides detectives with data, gave an agent from Homeland Security Investigations the sealed arrest report, which state law forbids. The Police Department has said it is investigating the officer’s actions.
In court papers, Ms. Kordia’s lawyers have said that she has been kept in miserable conditions at Prairieland, where cockroaches skitter across the floor and guards have refused to honor her requests for halal meals.
Hamzah Abushaban, a cousin who came to visit her in Texas soon after her arrest, said he was shocked. She had lost 50 pounds, had dark circles under her eyes and seemed confused about why she was there.
“I’ve never seen her look like that,” said Mr. Abushaban. “She looked like death.”
Ms. Kordia’s future in the United States remains uncertain. Prosecutors have said that federal investigators are still investigating her for financial transactions overseas.
Before her arrest, Ms. Kordia had been trying to start a business selling candles and balloons. She had found a small space about five minutes from her mother’s house in Paterson that she planned to rent.
During the immigration court hearing in April, the judge asked Ms. Kordia about the space. Was she still renting it?
Ms. Kordia replied simply, expressing little emotion.
“I had it for one night,” she said. “That’s it. Then I came here.”
June 1, 2025
Police Investigate Detectives Involved at Home Linked to Crypto Torture Case
The New York Police Department is investigating two detectives who provided security at a luxurious Manhattan townhouse where two cryptocurrency investors are accused of torturing a man for three weeks, according to two city officials with knowledge of the matter.
One of the detectives, Roberto Cordero, who has also served for years on Mayor Eric Adams’s security detail, picked up the victim from the airport on May 6 and brought him back to the townhouse, where he was held captive until his escape last week, the officials said.
Detective Cordero and the other detective, Raymond J. Low, who investigates narcotics cases in Manhattan, were placed on modified duty on Wednesday, according to an internal document and the officials, who were not authorized to speak because of the sensitivity of the investigation.
It is unclear whether the detectives were employed directly or whether they had been working for a private security company. Officers are not permitted to work for security firms without Police Department approval, according to the department’s patrol guide. It was also unclear whether the men were present during the crime prosecutors say occurred there.
In a statement, the Police Department confirmed that two officers had been placed on modified duty, which generally restricts a person to desk work, and that the matter was under internal review.
Neither Detective Cordero nor any legal representatives could immediately be reached for comment. When reached by phone, Detective Low declined to comment.
A 20-year veteran, Detective Cordero has served on the Executive Protection Unit, the mayor’s security detail, since December 2021, according to records from the police and the Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent oversight agency.
The house where they worked is at 38 Prince Street in the NoLIta neighborhood. On May 23, an Italian man, Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, escaped from the home, where he said he had been tortured for weeks.
The Manhattan district attorney has charged the two cryptocurrency investors — John Woeltz, 37, and William Duplessie, 33 — with kidnapping and torturing him. Mr. Woeltz has been indicted by a grand jury, though the indictment will remain sealed until he is arraigned on June 11, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said on Thursday.
When Mr. Carturan arrived at the townhouse on May 6, he was captured and held by Mr. Woeltz and a 24-year-old woman, according to prosecutors and an internal police report. They wanted the password to a Bitcoin wallet worth millions, the report said.
The woman, Beatrice Folchi, was initially charged by the police with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment, but she was released and her prosecution was deferred, a law enforcement official said.
Detective Cordero joined the Police Department in January 2005 and has served in the 46th Precinct in the Bronx and on a narcotics team in Manhattan, according to police and Complaint Board records.
He has been the subject of several complaints accusing him of abusing his authority and using physical force. In one complaint from 2014, a man accused Detective Cordero and seven other officers of beating him, strip-searching him and taking his money. The case was settled in 2016.
Detective Low joined the Police Department on the same day as Detective Cordero, according to police records.
Detective Low was elevated to his rank in 2013. He has been named in nine complaints dating back to 2008, including one that accuses him of making a false official statement and using a chokehold, according to Complaint Board records.
May 29, 2025