The IRS Criminal Investigation Division has joined forces with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York to investigate issues related to the NYPD’s enforcement of nightclub laws, a senior official told NBC New York.

SDNY and IRS have seized the cell phones of numerous NYPD officers, including at least one phone belonging to Commissioner Edward Caban. Caban’s brother James’ phone was also seized as part of the corruption investigation.

Multiple sources told NBC that New York federal investigators are trying to determine whether James Caban profited from his ties to his powerful brother and the NYPD. Specifically, the probe is looking into whether James was paid by bars and clubs in Midtown and Queens to act as a police liaison, and whether those clubs then received special treatment from local police departments, the sources said.

SDNY and IRS have seized the cell phones of numerous NYPD officers, including at least one phone belonging to Commissioner Edward Caban, News 4’s Melissa Russo reports.

Other questions being investigated, according to the sources, include whether officials were asked to take tougher action against clubs that did not have business dealings with the commissioner’s brother, or whether officials who were complicit in the potential plot were promoted.

“The Department is aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York involving members of the armed forces. The Department is cooperating fully with the investigation,” an NYPD spokesman said on Thursday. The NYPD referred all further questions to the U.S. Attorney.

No charges were brought against anyone as part of the investigation.

News 4 left several messages for James Caban on his phone and with a family member, but they were not answered.

A spokeswoman for the IRS Criminal Investigation Division declined to comment.

In a separate investigation, the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office are looking into past fundraising efforts by Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign.

The full scope of the investigation is unclear and no charges have been filed.

Adams has consistently denied any wrongdoing in this matter.

More questions are being raised around NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban’s twin brother, who is allegedly profiting from the use of police department resources. This is one of three investigations underway at NYPD headquarters and City Hall as the FBI and federal prosecutors focus on possible corruption cases involving high-ranking aides to Mayor Eric Adams, NBC New York’s Jonathan Dienst reports.

In a third case, an FBI and SDNY investigation resulted in the confiscation of cellphones belonging to several members of Adams’ inner circle. The homes of the Banks brothers, who are among the mayor’s closest allies, were searched. Those searched included Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, Schools Chancellor David Banks (who lives in Harlem with First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright), and a third Banks brother, Terence, who runs an outside consulting firm.

Sources familiar with the matter said the third investigation would examine whether and, if so, what kind of dealings City Hall had with the consulting firm run by Terence Banks.

“The government has assured us that Mr. Banks is not a target of this investigation,” Timothy Sini, Terence Banks’ attorney and former Suffolk County district attorney, told News 4.

Both Terence Banks’ LinkedIn page and company website were deleted on Friday. The website for his company, The Pearl Alliance, listed Banks as founder and CEO and described the company as “focused on connecting businesses with government and community stakeholders.”

Received from NBC New York

Schools Chancellor David Banks issued the following statement to News 4: “Yesterday was the first day of school for the 1.1 million students and staff of New York City’s public schools, and I remain focused on providing them with a safe, academically challenging and joyful school year. I confirm that I am cooperating with a federal investigation. I cannot comment further on this matter at this time.”

Ben Brafman, Phil Banks’ senior attorney, declined to comment.

The FBI and the US Attorney’s Office have not commented on the investigation. No criminal charges have been filed.

“My message to the public has always been that we must follow the law, and we do,” Adams said. The mayor said he is focused on his job and blocking out distractions despite the growing attention on the investigation and the enormous pressure.

On Thursday, the New York Post ran an editorial calling on Adams to call on Commissioner Caban to resign.

“Caban works with the feds every day as chief of the NYPD; now his home has been raided by those same feds. Even if he did nothing wrong, how can he do his job properly while this stench lingers? Even if he is exonerated, the bad blood will continue to simmer. The only losers in this scenario are the NYPD and the people of New York City,” the editorial said.