An NYPD lieutenant suspended from the force following a Daily News report detailing the more than $200,000 in overtime pay she accrued last year is demanding she be reinstated, claiming she deserves special consideration in light of the sexual abuse she says she endured at the hands of NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey.
An attorney for Lt. Special Assignment Quathisha Epps fired off a letter to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch demanding his client be reinstated with full back pay, benefits and the opportunity to retire with pension in light of Maddrey’s alleged abuse.
“This request comes amidst deeply concerning circumstances, including allegations of quid pro quo sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and an unjust suspension,” attorney Eric Sanders wrote to Tisch in a letter dated Dec. 24. “While these matters require careful and thorough review, Lieutenant Epps must be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect as the situation is resolved.”
A Daily News report published in November named Epps as the highest-paid member of the NYPD with a salary of $406,515 — $118,203 more than the $285,313 former Commissioner Edward Caban made in fiscal year 2024.
The News’ report also outlined the 1,600 hours of overtime Epp’s claimed, earning her $204,000. Sources said the department would audit Epps’ pay and the lieutenant was suspended on Dec. 18, two days after she put in for retirement.
Epps’ resignation came seven months short of her 20th year at the department, when she would earn full retirement benefits.
A News’ analysis of her salary shows her pension could be at least $150,000 a year tax-free and possibly close to $232,000.
If Epps’ request is granted and her suspension is lifted, the lieutenant would proceed with her planned retirement on Jan. 15, Sander’s said.
Almost immediately following her suspension, Epps filed a claim with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging Maddrey repeatedly demanded sex from her “in exchange for overtime opportunities in the workplace.”
After Epps rejected Maddrey’s advances, the chief retaliated by adding her name to a list of the department’s top overtime earners — a list that top NYPD executives consistently edit to hide friends and colleagues making massive amounts of overtime with little oversight, the complaint alleges.
Maddrey resigned Friday night and a spokesman for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said it was “investigating” the former chief of department’s conduct regarding the sexual abuse and harassment allegations.
“These are extremely serious and disturbing claims that allegedly occurred at NYPD Headquarters in Manhattan,” the DA spokesman said. “We are investigating.”
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