[ad_1]
Federal investigators raided the Manhattan office of one of New York’s major police unions on Tuesday morning as part of an ongoing investigation, according to two people with knowledge of the case.
The union, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, represents approximately 13,000 active and retired police sergeants in New York City. His seat was raided as part of an investigation by the FBI and the public corruption unit of the US attorney’s office in Manhattan, the people said.
Investigators also executed a search warrant at the Long Island home of union president Edward D. Mullins, a person familiar with the operation said.
Although the precise purpose and scope of the investigation could not be determined immediately, the search of Mr. Mullins’ home suggests that the investigation is at least to some extent focused on him.
An FBI spokesperson only said that agents “were carrying out a law enforcement operation as part of an ongoing investigation” at union offices in Lower Manhattan.
At least four federal agents were inside the union headquarters around noon Tuesday. Investigators lowered the dark wood blinds and placed pieces of cardboard inside four windows to prevent the public from looking inside.
Mr Mullins, who has led the union since 2002, could not immediately be reached for comment. The Sergeants’ Union, which is said to be the nation’s fifth largest police union, did not immediately respond to questions about the raid, which was reported earlier by the New York Daily News.
Mr Mullins, a longtime personality, has become known in recent years for making sassy and inflammatory comments on social media, particularly against Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Mr Mullins was recently faced with internal discipline charges for his behavior on Twitter, including for sharing a police report documenting the arrest of Mr de Blasio’s daughter Chiara during protests in New York .
The police department does not generally publish internal reports, and the one Mr Mullins shared contained personal information about Ms de Blasio.
Mr de Blasio declined to comment on the raid at a press conference on Tuesday, saying he did not know any details, but said Mr Mullins has long been a “dividing voice” whose behavior has been “destructive”.
Mr Mullins also faces internal discipline for tweets in which he used profane language against Dr Oxiris Barbot, the city’s former health commissioner, and Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democratic member of Congress who represents the Bronx.
Mr Torres, who called for Mr Mullins’ resignation over what he described as racist, misogynistic and homophobic remarks, tweeted on Tuesday that Mr Mullins had received a ‘first class raid’ from the FBI
Mr Mullins also called attention to his outspoken right-wing policies in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans. The Sergeants’ Union and its larger union, the Police Benevolent Association, have been run primarily by conservatives whose views are not representative of the metropolis they oversee.
Mr. Mullins has praised former President Donald J. Trump, a Republican who was deeply unpopular among the townspeople. He has also been criticized by liberal lawmakers after giving an interview to Fox News surrounded by paraphernalia related to QAnon, a fringe conspiracy theory widely supported by Trump supporters.
Chelsia Rose Marcius contributed reporting.
[ad_2]
Source link