Mayor Adams defends Tim Pearson adviser on sex harass, retaliation accusations

Mayor Adams once again found himself defending adviser Timothy Pearson on Tuesday in the wake of a lawsuit filed by an NYPD chief alleging Pearson came after members of a special unit who backed sexual harassment allegations against him and that also included allegations of prior sexual misconduct.

Adams said Pearson’s status as a key adviser hasn’t changed following the filing of Chief Miltiadis Marmara’s lawsuit, the fourth accusing the former police inspector over conduct while Pearson was overseeing the Mayor’s Municipal Services Assessment unit.

“The process will take its course,” Adams said during a Tuesday press conference.

Earlier, he praised Pearson, saying the “flexibility” of his role is “just so important.”

“People have a tendency when accusations are made to say, ‘You know what, the pressure is hot, you need to just get rid of a person.’ I just don’t operate that way,” Adams said.

The mayor declined to answer questions about when he learned of the allegations, initially made by Sgt. Roxanne Ludemann in December 2022. Her claims have been bolstered by two other cops who filed lawsuits — retired Sgt. Michael Ferrari and Lt. George Huang and now Marmara. Adams also declined to say whether he knew of sexual misconduct accusations against Pearson before he hired him.

In addition to issues at the MSA, Marmara’s lawsuit accuses Pearson of abusing a female Queens pastor during sex, being fired from his job at a Queens casino over sexual improprieties and being the subject of a series of complaints while in the NYPD.

John Scola, who represents Marmara and the other three plaintiffs, said he was puzzled by the mayor’s comments and called for public hearings to air out the allegations.

“My clients have told both City Hall and NYPD investigators repeatedly about the sexual misconduct of Pearson and the retaliation that followed,” he said. “This tactic is meant to distract the public from the veracity of the allegations against Pearson so Mayor Adams can continue to employ his friend.”

The mayor said Pearson is “well respected in the law enforcement community” and disputed the idea that he has “vast powers” over the NYPD.

Marmara has alleged Pearson controls promotions and assignments of sergeants and lieutenants and that Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks controls promotions and assignments of captains and above, a departure from the past when the police commissioners held that power.