Police Commissioner Caban’s twin James Caban being probed by feds has gotten NYPD protection: sources

Chris Sommerfeldt, Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News
Updated ·4 min read

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban’s twin brother James Caban, who sources say is being investigated by federal authorities over the question of whether he “sold” security favors to nightclubs, has been chauffeured around in an NYPD vehicle whenever he’s in the city, according to people familiar with the arrangement.

Three sources told the Daily News that James Caban was granted the protection on the basis that he could be mistakenly targeted by someone looking to attack Commissioner Caban, his identical twin. A fourth source confirmed James Caban was assigned the protection within days of his brother being named commissioner by Mayor Adams in July 2023.

Multiple NYPD cops have been assigned to drive James Caban when he’s in the city, two of the sources familiar with the matter said.

It’s unclear what type of vehicle James Caban has been driven around in. It’s also unclear whether he’s still enjoying the protection in the wake of his home being raided and electronics seized by federal authorities last week as part of a sprawling corruption investigation that’s rocking Adams’ administration.

James Caban hasn’t returned requests for comment since last week. But late Wednesday night, Sean Hecker, a prominent white collar defense attorney, confirmed he has been retained as Caban’s lawyer and said his police protection “was solely for his safety, given his close relationship with his identical twin brother.”

“Our client has fully cooperated with law enforcement and, once their investigation is complete, it will be clear that these claims are unfounded and lack merit,” Hecker said in a statement. He wouldn’t comment on whether his client’s still receiving NYPD protection.

The NYPD press office said Wednesday it couldn’t comment on James Caban’s police protection “due to the ongoing investigation” by the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office. It’s unclear whether the feds are looking at James Caban’s police protection as part of their probe.

Details about James Caban’s NYPD protection are emerging as the feds continue to investigate whether he squeezed nightlife venues in the city for money in exchange for offering favors involving the police, including the possibility of protection, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the matter.

As part of the investigation, Commissioner Caban’s electronics were also seized by the feds last week, a dramatic development that has fueled calls for his resignation. Several other police officials have gotten their electronics confiscated, too, including officers with responsibilities in Manhattan’s 10th Precinct, which covers the nightlife-heavy neighborhoods of Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen.

In his statement, Hecker said James Caban’s “work – as a consultant and acting as a liaison between the department and a private company – is perfectly legal, especially given his previous career as a NYPD officer.” Hecker wouldn’t say what private company he was referencing or elaborate further on what his client’s work entails.

James Caban was fired from the NYPD in 2001 after the department determined he wrongfully detained and threatened a cab driver, as reported by The News in 2019.

No one has to date been accused of wrongdoing in the probe led by the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, which is separately investigating Adams’ 2021 campaign ties to Turkey’s government.

The feds also last week seized electronics from and raided the homes of First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, top Adams adviser Tim Pearson, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks and his two brothers, Schools Chancellor David Banks and MTA worker-turned-political consultant Terence Banks. According to the New York Times, those actions are part of a separate probe, also led by the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, focused on whether Terence Banks’ consulting firm was involved in a bribery scheme featuring private companies contracting with his brothers’ city agencies.

The issue of NYPD security details has emerged in investigative contexts before.

The city Conflicts of Interest Board fined ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio nearly $475,000 last year over allegations that he misused his personal police detail during his failed 2020 presidential campaign. De Blasio is still fighting that fine in court.

Howard Redmond, an ex-NYPD inspector who used to lead de Blasio’s detail, pleaded guilty in 2023 to criminal charges that he tried to obstruct the investigation into the former mayor’s alleged misuse of police resources.

With Graham Rayman