Brooklyn bar owner alleges he was victim of ‘shakedown' amid growing federal criminal investigation into NYC city hall and NYPD (2024)

A Coney Island bar owner said he was told his problems with the NYPD could be resolved if he hired and paid the police commissioner’s brother.The bar owner alleged it was a worker in the mayor’s office who allegedly tried to help arrange the deal.

“I felt it was like I got an ultimatum.It’s like either you gonna get with this - or you gonna get shut down,” bar owner Shamel Kelly told NBC New York.

Shamel Kelly said it was associate director Ray Martin of the mayor's Office of Entertainment and Nightlife who first told him he could pay the police commissioner's brother to help get better treatment from the NYPD.

"He just said he was an assistant of Eric Adams. He said he knows people and he dropped the Eddie Caban name because I guess he is the NYPD commissioner and I was having problems with the NYPD," Kelly said.

Kelly alleges he reached out to James Caban - the police commissioner's twin brother - and that James Caban told him he could help Kelly with his NYPD problems if he paid him about $2,500 upfront.

The state liquor authority said Kelly's bar was not facing any charges of wrongdoing - but there were dozens of noise complaints to 3-1-1 about loud music.

Kelly says he felt too many cops from the 60 precinct kept showing up - hurting his relatively new business - The "Juice and Moore Bar" - along Mermaid Avenue.

News 4's Melissa Russo with the latest.

He said pleas for help from the NYPD and local community board were unsuccessful.

Kelly said he never expected that Ray Martin from the mayor's office would give him this advice: "He went on about how he thinks I should just close the bar, and if I don't close the bar, there's only one way to get the police to stop doing what they are doing, which was to speak to one of his friends, which was the James Caban guy," Kelly said.

James Caban, an ex-cop, is the twin brother of Edward Caban, the NYPD commissioner who resigned Thursday.

Kelly showed phone records and text messages from Aug. 2023 where Martin from the mayor's office allegedly encouraged Kelly to contact James Caban.

"Hey Shamel - reminder to call James," one text read.

Kelly said phone records and texts show he and the commissioner’s brother discussed the issues surrounding his business, which was a juice bar by day and licensed to serve alcohol on weekend nights.

James Caban allegedly wrote: "Spoke to the commanding officer and the biggest complaint from the community board is that you are registered as a juice bar and now you are doing parties there...lots of noise complaints."

"If you have a license to serve alcohol, and it was summertime and community board knew we were going to Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night events," Kelly said.

Records suggest Kelly and Caban also spoke by phone. And that's when Kelly says James Caban asked him for the initial $2,500.

"He said he will mediate my issues," Kelly said of the alleged conversation. "He said he could bring the NYPD to me and resolve our issues is what he said he could do."

But Kelly said he turned down the offer.

"After he said I had to pay him for it, I felt like he was trying to extort me and I said, 'Nah I'm good.' I'll just deal with how I'm gonna deal with it, and it got worse," Kelly said.

Kelly said the Ray Martin and James Caban connection gnawed at him.

"I assume you'll be like 'oh, okay, let's figure out what the problem is.' I'm not expecting 'Oh, you gotta pay me. Nah, that doesn't fall with me," Kelly said.

Ray Martin did not return requests for comment.

James Caban's attorney's issued a statement: "Mr. Caban unequivocally denies any wrongdoing. His 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… 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.”

Amid a federal investigation into the NYPD's nightlife enforcement practices, Edward Caban resigned Thursday as the NYPD commissioner saying in a statement, "My complete focus must be on the NYPD – the Department I profoundly honor and have dedicated my career to serving. However, the noise around recent developments has made that impossible and has hindered the important work our city requires. I have therefore decided it is in the best interest of the Department that I resign as Commissioner."

Edward Caban's attorneys tell NBC New York, "We have been informed by the government that he is not a target of any investigation being conducted by the Southern District of New York, and he expects to cooperate fully with the government."

No one has been charged in connection with the case.

Former NYPD chief of department Terry Monahan, an NBC New York consultant, said, "Everything we heard from the bar owner,if those allegations are true, it is at minimum unethical, and possibly criminal, in the way they were dealing with the bar owner.”

Kelly said, ”I’ve been really really really really really like hurt, disappointed, stressed, depressed.”

Kelly is not just making the allegations now – as he posted his concerns on social media back in February – but at the time, few noticed.

As for Juice and Moore, Kelly closed it down in February.

"I don't think it's just me," Kelly said. "I think that is probably a thing that is going on in New York specifically to be honest."

City hall late today issued this statement: “We appreciate WNBC for bringing this information to our attention yesterday afternoon. After receiving this inquiry, we immediately began an internal review and found that Mr. Martin violated the terms of his employment. Mr. Martin was terminated for cause yesterday. We expect all city employees to act ethically and in the public interest.”

The staffer, Martin, was fired and has not returned requests for comment.

The bar owner, Kelly, said the feds and DOI investigators interviewed him Thursday afternoon after NBC New York raised questions related to Kelly's claims and the ongoing corruption investigations into city hall and the NYPD.

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