The NYPD is demanding nearly $232,000 in overtime wages be returned by former Lt. Quathisha Epps, who accused disgraced ex-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey of forcing her to perform “unwanted sexual favors” in return for the extra pay — a move her lawyer called “retaliatory, discriminatory, and illegal.”
An April 22 letter from the department addressed to Epps with the heading “Overpayment Notification” states that after a review of her overtime records from July 2023 through October 2024, it determined she was paid $231,896.75 in overpayments, adding she owes the NYPD the full sum.
“As we started to look into the allegations of overtime abuse, we found that she claimed overtime for work she didn’t do,” a source familiar with the investigation said.
NYPD Deputy Chief Paul Saraceno was recently terminated in April when it was determined he had signed off on nearly 200 overtime slips submitted by Epps last fall, the source said. Saraceno approved more than 170 of Epps’ backdated slips in a single day.
Epps’ lawyer Eric Sanders slammed the NYPD’s request in a May 2 reply.
“The Department’s attempt to characterize this as a routine administrative recovery is false. This demand, issued without legal justification, audit documentation, or parity of enforcement is not about payroll irregularities,” Sanders wrote. “It is a retaliatory and discriminatory act designed to punish a victim, protect institutional power, and suppress exposure of widespread criminal misconduct within the highest ranks of the NYPD.”
Epps first came into the public eye when the Daily News and New York Post reported she made a total of $400,000 including overtime in fiscal year 2024. The NYPD then opened an investigation and suspended her.
“This kind of abuse and greed is offensive to every cop out there who works so hard to keep our streets safe,” a police source said about Epps’ overtime pay, which placed her among the highest-paid officers in the department.
“It’s about time the NYPD actually does something about it and sends a signal that it won’t be tolerated.”
Epps, formerly an administrative lieutenant in Maddrey’s office, subsequently filed a discrimination complaint against him, alleging he coerced her into sex. She retired in January.
Maddrey began forcing Epps “into performing unwanted sexual favors” beginning in June 2023, according to the complaint. The sexual encounters usually occurred in his office at police headquarters in Manhattan, the complaint says.
When Epps “finally developed the courage to reject Chief Maddrey’s advances, he retaliated against her by orchestrating and intentionally manipulating a monthly overtime report to falsely portray her as an abuser of overtime,” the complaint reads.
Maddrey resigned Dec. 22 after Epps’ bombshell allegations. He claims the sexual relationship with Epps was consensual.
In a statement released Saturday morning, Epps stated she would “not be silenced,” following the NYPD’s demand to be repaid.
“This isn’t just my fight—it’s the fight of every woman who dared to speak up and was punished for it,” Epps said. “If the Department — or anyone else — believes they can erase what happened by attacking me, they’ve gravely underestimated the power of truth.”
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.
Originally Published: May 3, 2025 at 1:29 PM EDT
