Exclusive: NYPD lieutenant breaks silence after accusing ex-chief of department of sex harassment
Eyewitness News is exclusively hearing from the woman at the center of a scandal that rocked the NYPD.
The woman, an NYPD lieutenant, accused the highest-ranking uniformed member of the force of sexual harassment.
In an emotional interview, Quathisha Epps talks about Jeffrey Maddrey, the former NYPD chief of department, and how she says he forced himself on her in exchange for overtime hours.
Epps sat down with Eyewitness News reporter Darla Miles for an exclusive interview.
"This guy is a monster," Epps said.
Epps, for the first time, is speaking openly about the allegations of sexual harassment, that prompted Maddrey to cut short his 33-year career in the department, abruptly resigning in December.
"Who's going to believe me? Who can I talk to, who can I tell?" Epps said.
The 19-year NYPD veteran sat down with Eyewitness News along with her attorney to discuss the EEOC complaint she filed last year, which reads, "Maddrey engaged in quid pro quo sexual harassment" and would "coerce her into performing unwanted sexual favors in exchange for overtime opportunities."
It was overtime she'd expressed previously she needed after her two-income household dropped down to one during the COVID-19 shutdown.
She said it all started in June 2023 when Maddrey called her into of his 13th-floor office at One Police Plaza, the NYPD's headquarters.
"He says close the door. And it was in this moment when things changed for the worse. He's dressed in a T-shirt, work pants and no shoes on. And the way he was sitting you could not readily see that his pants were open. He kept pointed to me that he wanted some of that. He was pointed at my buttocks. He revealed himself," Epps said.
Epps describes in explicit, disturbing detail the first time she says Maddrey forced himself on her.
"He keeps saying he's sick and he's sorry, rubbing his chest saying 'I'm a (expletive), I'm a (expletive) I'm still a (expletive). I'm like, you're the chief of department and he's like, I'm a (expletive) I'm still a (expletive) and I want that.' He stands up, his penis exposed and holds me by my arm and says 'I just need a little bit, I just need a little bit and starts pushing me towards the door." And I really couldn't get much more out of me other than, 'you're the chief of department," Epps said.
Epps, a mother of three, struggled to get through the details.
"He starts using his weight to push me in the room, in the dorm area. And then I feel an excruciating pain. And I keep saying, 'Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.' And he just kept on, 'Baby I'm sorry, baby I'm sorry. I just need it, I just need it.' He says he dreams about it. He just dreams about it. I just kept saying 'Stop, stop, stop.' And then my body just went, like flat. I just tried to lay still and maybe it will end sooner," Epps said.
She said Maddrey, more than twice her size, had her pinned in a small space and she couldn't move.
"I honestly don't know what was happening. I wasn't even connecting. I just couldn't understand why you would do this to me. You're my brother. I can come to you about anything and I have come to you. You know everything I've been through. I've confided in you so much. You said you were going to protect me," Epps said.
For the next 18 months, Epps says Maddrey would often corner her when the two were alone, and force himself on her.
"Everything was in 1PP. (One Police Plaza.) I have, I have never ever, ever had any type of exchange physically with him. He's never violated me outside of 1PP," Epps said.
Because of Maddrey's rank and power within the department, Epps says she had nowhere to turn.
"I never said a cross word about him. I just tried to lay low and survive," Epps said.
"Did the word ever come to your head?" Miles asked.
"Sodomy came to my head?" Epps said.
"Was it always sodomy?" Miles asked.
"No. It was always a violation," Epps said.
In December, an attorney for Maddrey denied the allegation, sharing his side of the story.
"Lt. Epps had a consensual adult relationship, albeit for a short time, with Jeff," the attorney said.
Maddrey's attorney reiterated this position when we reached out to him about our interview with Epps, saying: "Lt. Epps was suspended from the NYPD in mid December for allegedly stealing time because it's believed she falsified time sheets and was paid for overtime that she never performed."
The attorney also said: "It was only after she was accused of stealing that she decided to make up a story to save her own skin, We look forward to total vindication."
Said Epps: "He just explained to me that he was sorry. And if I didn't say anything, we always keep this here. He would help me protect me. He knows that I'm dealing with financial woes, and he got me all I have to do is don't tell nobody."
Earlier on Monday, Epps filed a complaint with the NYPD internal affairs over nude videos of her that are now circulating on messaging apps.
Epps and her attorney claim she was coerced into making the videos in Maddrey's actions to keep her under his power and control.
Maddrey's lawyer has said all along they are aware that the videos exist and that the relationship was consensual.
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