Federal authorities have conducted searches at the residences of several high-ranking aides and close associates of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, which includes the city police commissioner, marking a significant corruption investigation in the nation’s largest metropolis.

The raids, carried out on Wednesday and Thursday, included NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, Deputy Mayor for Criminal Justice Philip Banks III, his brother Schools Chancellor David Banks, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and another brother, Terrence Banks, who is not a government official, according to local reporting.

“The investigators have not informed us that the mayor or his staff are under investigation,” said Lisa Zornberg, the mayor’s chief legal advisor. “As a former law enforcement officer, the mayor has consistently stated that all team members must adhere to the law.”

Upon leaving City Hall on Thursday afternoon, Adams, who has a background as a police captain, told reporters, “Our aim is to uphold the law, which this administration has always advocated and will continue to do.”

The searches at the residences of the deputy mayors and schools chancellor were initially reported by The City, a nonprofit news organization. The federal agents’ seizure of the police commissioner’s phones was first covered by Spectrum News NY1.

New York, like many large cities, has faced various scandals; however, the federal search warrant involving Police Commissioner Caban stands out significantly.

“It’s unprecedented for a commissioner to be linked in any way to a federal criminal investigation,” remarked Hank Sheinkopf, an experienced political strategist. He noted that while previous police commissioners have overseen the NYPD during federal inquiries into departmental practices or actions of individual officers, no other commissioner has had a federal search warrant executed against them.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan and the FBI both refrained from commenting on the matter.

Adams is known for surrounding himself with a close-knit group of friends and associates, many of whom he has known since his time in the police force.

Deputy Mayor Philip Banks is a former high-ranking NYPD leader who was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a previous federal bribery investigation. His brother, Schools Chancellor David Banks, is romantically involved with First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.

Timothy Pearson, an adviser to Adams who is also reportedly involved in the search warrant, is a former police inspector. Efforts to contact Pearson and Terrence Banks were unsuccessful.

The recent raids are not connected to an ongoing federal investigation regarding potential illegal Turkish financing related to Adams’ 2021 campaign. A source familiar with that investigation indicated that the FBI had previously seized Adams’ mobile devices and computers in November 2023, as well as conducted searches at the residence of his campaign treasurer.

Sheinkopf pointed out that “the FBI is more actively pursuing municipal corruption investigations across the nation than ever before. Those early morning raids don’t happen randomly.”