Caban was one of several high-ranking city officials whose electronic devices were seized last week by federal investigators, according to people familiar with the matter. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.
The subject of the investigation, which is being led by U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, remains unclear. It was not immediately clear whether federal authorities were seeking information linked to one investigation or several.
Federal authorities are also investigating Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, who runs a nightclub security business, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Edward Caban, 57, had been in charge of the nation’s largest police department for about 15 months. Of Puerto Rican heritage, he was the first Latino to lead the 179-year-old NYPD.
The searches added to a flurry of investigative activity around Adams’ administration and his campaign. Adams, a first-term Democrat, was subpoenaed in July, eight months after federal agents seized his cell phones and an iPad while he was leaving an event in Manhattan. Federal authorities haven’t publicly accused him or any officials of any crimes, and Adams has denied any wrongdoing.
The investigation that led to Caban’s devices being seized is not believed to be tied to a probe that led federal investigators to seize Adams’ devices last November, according to two people familiar with the matter. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
On Tuesday, Adams acknowledged that the sudden increase in federal scrutiny had “raised a lot of questions and a lot of concerns.”
