Top NYPD brass doled out coveted jobs in specialty units to "unqualified" friends and sold promotions for cash, according to several lawsuits claiming embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams presided over a culture of "corruption and cronyism" in the nation's largest police department.

The allegations were made in a lawsuit filed by a former chief of detectives, James Essig, who said he was forced out of the NYPD after raising concerns about the promotions.