Brooklyn Bar Owner Files $6M Lawsuit Against NYPD, Caban Brothers Over Alleged Extortion
Shamel Kelly, owner of Coney Island's Juice & Moore, claims police harassed him into closing after he refused a $2,500 shakedown. The suit names the city, former Commissioner Edward Caban, and his brother James.
Brooklyn Bar Owner Sues City Over Alleged NYPD Shakedown
A Brooklyn bar owner has filed a $6 million federal lawsuit against New York City, former Police Commissioner Edward Caban, his twin brother James Caban, and dozens of NYPD officers — alleging a sustained campaign of harassment and extortion that forced his business to close, NY Post Metro reports.
Shamel Kelly, who opened Juice & Moore on Coney Island in 2022, says officers from the 60th Precinct subjected him to relentless police pressure after he refused to pay $2,500 to have his problems "resolved." The suit was filed Wednesday in Brooklyn Federal Court.
According to court papers, James Caban — twin brother of the then-commissioner — was introduced to Kelly through mayoral staffer Ray Martin. Caban allegedly told Kelly his issues with the precinct could be taken care of for $2,500. When Kelly refused, James warned him "that he would not remain open much longer," the lawsuit claims.
The alleged retaliation was swift and overwhelming. Kelly says he was subjected to more than 60 police visits in the final year his bar was open, including incidents in which more than 40 officers arrived simultaneously and issued 26 violations in a single visit. On several occasions, "more than ten police vehicles and dozens of officers" appeared outside his shop, the filing states. The summonses were later dismissed.
"Since he refused to pay Mr. Caban, the 60th Precinct's presence and harassment intensified significantly," the court papers state. Kelly's bar closed in November 2023, roughly a year after opening.
The lawsuit also alleges that Edward Caban used his position as commissioner to override official complaints Kelly had filed about police misconduct — adding a separate layer of alleged abuse of authority to the case.
Kelly's attorney Harry Daniels framed the alleged conduct in stark terms. "Shamel Kelly was like any one of us simply trying to make a living and the very officers and officials who were supposed to be protecting him extorted him and ran him out of business like they were mobsters in a bad movie," Daniels said.
Attorney Bernarda Villalona, also representing Kelly, called on the city to take a position. "Are you going to protect corrupt officials or hard working folks like Shamel Kelly?" she said.
The alleged shakedown formed part of the backdrop to a broader federal corruption investigation into aides of former Mayor Eric Adams and senior NYPD officials, including the Caban brothers. Edward Caban was subsequently ousted as police commissioner.
Ray Martin, the mayoral staffer who introduced Kelly to James Caban, was fired after NBC New York first reported Kelly's account. Attorneys for James Caban denied any wrongdoing at the time.
Kelly told NY Post Metro in 2024 that he felt "vindicated" when federal agents raided the Caban brothers. The $6 million lawsuit marks his formal legal pursuit of that claim.
Source: NY Post Metro