A former NYPD commissioner on Wednesday accused Mayor Eric Adams and his police cronies of running the department like the mob — rewarding loyal lackeys and inflicting payback on foes, including by arresting the top cop’s wife, his bombshell lawsuit claims.

Thomas Donlon — a former FBI bigwig tapped to temporarily run the NYPD last year — called for a full, federal takeover of the department in his whopping 251-page complaint against Adams and a slew of former and current police officials.

Donlon, who was appointed after Commissioner Edward Caban resigned following stunning federal raids, detailed allegedly being sidelined by a corrupt cadre atop the department who fraudulently promoted themselves, shielded sexual misconduct and retaliated against whistleblowers – all under Adams’ watch.

“This enterprise – the NYPD – was criminal at its core,” states the filing in Manhattan federal court.

“Its core function was to shield loyalists and silence internal critics through a calculated regime of favoritism, retaliation, and concealment.”

The sprawling lawsuit comes as Adams seeks a second term, running as an independent in November’s general election against Democrat socialist Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawyer Jim Walden.

It also dovetails with a quartet of other stunning lawsuits, particularly from former NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig, filed last week that accused Adams-aligned officials of selling promotions.

Donlon only spent two months in his post before he was replaced by current NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who purged dozens of cop bosses and cracked down on overtime abuses soon after taking over.

The new lawsuit portrays Donlon as a man of integrity whose attempts to root out corruption were stymied by Adams and powerful top cops, including Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry, NYPD Chief of Department John Chell and former deputy commissioner in charge of public information Tarik Sheppard.

Chell’s predecessor Jeffrey Maddrey, who resigned amid sex-for-overtime accusations, is also named as a defendant. 

Donlon allegedly tried to rein in those cops’ problematic behavior when his two-month tenure kicked off in September 2024, only to be told by Adams to ease up on them, the filing claims.

“Back off these guys,” Adams told Donlon during a sit-down in his office, according to the suit.

“They are my best three guys who are keeping crime down.”

But Donlon was “mortified” by the lack of experience of those so-called best guys, the suit claims, noting that Sheppard only made 15 misdemeanor arrests and five felony collars during his 20-year career, that Daughtry previously “failed the NYPD’s civil service sergeant’s examination” and that Chell had fatally shot a fleeing suspect in the back, for which he was found civilly liable.

The alleged corrupt cop cadre retaliated against Donlon’s efforts to raise the alarm by orchestrating the arrest of his wife, Deirdre Donlon-O’Connor, after a December fender bender, the lawsuit claims. 

Donlon-O’Connor was arrested after she allegedly drove with lapsed insurance – a rarity, according to the lawsuit. 

Not our finest

Thomas G. Donlon claims he was commissioner in name only of the NYPD — and that the real authority was held by a group of top officials and Mayor Adams cronies who Donlon says were unqualified. They are:

Tania Kinsella: First Deputy Commissioner

Donlon says: In charge of the NYPD overtime system, facilitating its “rampant abuse” via the fraudulent use of federal grant dollars.

Kaz Daughtry: Deputy Commissioner

Donlon says: In 2007, Daughtry pointed his firearm at a civilian on a motorcycle and threatened to kill him, and was simply docked 10 vacation days.

Jeffrey Maddery: Chief of Department

Donlon says: In 2016, Maddrey began a sexual relationship with a subordinate, Detective Tabatha Foster, and once punched her. He lost 45 vacation days but was not demoted or fired.

Tarik Sheppard: Deputy Commissioner of Public Information

Donlon says: In 2020, Sheppard was twice cited for violent arrests of protesters, causing the city to pay about $500,000 in settlements. Sheppard was not punished.

John Chell: Chief of Patrol

Donlon says: In 2008, Chell fatally shot a fleeing suspect, Ortanzso Bovell, in the back. The city paid out a $1.5 million settlement, but Chell was not disciplined.

Michael Gerber: Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters

Donlon says: An “Adams spy.” Helped orchestrate the arrest of Donlon’s wife and protected political allies under investigation.

The lawsuit contends that Sheppard, Daughtry and a third police official ordered Donlon-O’Connor’s arrest and leaked it to the press, including The Post, to embarrass her and Donlon.

The suit, at times, reads like a litany of gossip and sour grapes from Donlon’s two-month tenure, such as his repeated griping about Sheppard’s “insubordination” and accusing him of committing “stolen valor” by giving himself a promotion.

The pair’s rumored tension at the time spilled out into public when Sheppard — a hot-head who called a Post reporter a “f–king scumbag” — had to be held back while shouting at Donlon at the start of the New York City marathon in November.

“I will f—ing kill you,” Sheppard allegedly yelled at Donlon.

The suit also argues that Adams’ lackeys Phil Banks, the former deputy mayor for public safety, and Tim Pearson, an adviser, had usurped the NYPD’s promotion process. 

The pair had allegedly bypassed previous Commissioner Keechant Sewell, leading to her resignation, and created a “shadow chain of command” within the NYPD.

“It had become a political patronage machine, serving the personal interests of City Hall rather than the public good,” Donlon’s suit states.

“Banks and Pearson used their positions to orchestrate a pay-to-play promotion scheme, depriving the public of the NYPD officials’ honest services by corruptly influencing official acts for personal and political advantage.”

Both Banks and Pearson resigned their positions around the time Donlon took charge after a stunning spate of federal raids against Adams’ inner circle. Neither are listed as defendants in the lawsuit.

But Donlon maintained that a shadowy cabal of Adams pals remained atop NYPD, leaving and treating him as a mere a “figurehead.”

Other serious accusations outlined in Donlon’s suit are:

Adams allegedly revealed to Donlon in a meeting that he “needed to get the NYPD ‘in order’ as that is the only way he, Defendant Adams, will get re-elected,” the lawsuit states.

But the lawsuit contends Adams repeatedly took no action when Donlon raised concerns.

Donlon contended he was then targeted because he wouldn’t go along with the “weaponization” of the department, and called for the feds to appoint a federal monitor “with full authority to oversee” the department’s discipline, promotion and whistleblower practices. 

The current commissioner did not comment on Donlon’s request for the feds to get involved.

Chell, Daughtry and Donlon didn’t respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

Sheppard, when reached for comment by the supposed “scumbag” reporter, claimed ignorance.

“I have no idea about any lawsuit,” he said.

“You know I don’t speak to you about anything because I don’t trust you. Go ask the NYPD what they think about the lawsuit.”

City Hall spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak came out swinging against Donlon in a scorching takedown of his brief tenure.

“These are baseless accusations from a disgruntled former employee who — when given the opportunity to lead the greatest police department in the world — proved himself to be ineffective,” she said in a statement. “This suit is nothing more than an attempt to seek compensation at the taxpayer’s expense after Mr. Donlon was rightfully removed from the role of interim police commissioner.

“We will respond in court, where we are confident these absurd claims will be disproven.”

Adams, when visiting Bronx businesses Wednesday, likewise attacked Donlon.

“The lawsuit’s baseless, a disgruntled former employee,” he said.

John Scola, who represents Donlon in the civil action, claimed Adams had “shattered the NYPD’s chain of command and replaced it with a loyalty test.”

“Promotions went to cronies, not leaders, and anyone who stood up for integrity—like Commissioner Donlon—was pushed out,” he said.

– Additional reporting by Priscilla DeGregory and Ben Kochman