Coney Island Bar Owner Sues NYPD, Says He Refused Ex-Commissioner's Brother

A Coney Island juice bar owner has filed a civil rights lawsuit against New York City, alleging that the NYPD and members of the Eric Adams administration extorted and harassed him until his business collapsed. Shamel Kelly says the ordeal began after he refused to pay thousands of dollars to James Caban, brother of former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, and that the harassment only intensified once he declined.

According to News12 Brooklyn, Kelly has released videos showing officers allegedly harassing his bar, part of the evidence backing his claims of extortion and targeted enforcement. Kelly's business, Juice & Moore, opened in spring 2022 at 1915 Mermaid Avenue, operating as a juice bar by day and serving alcohol on weekend nights before it was forced to close in early 2024, according to local reporting from PoliticsNY.

The alleged scheme traces back to August 2023, when Ray Martin, then an associate director in City Hall's Office of Entertainment and Nightlife, introduced Kelly to James Caban as a “security consultant” who could resolve NYPD noise enforcement issues in exchange for a $2,500 fee, per reporting from AP News. Kelly reported that his establishment endured more than 60 unannounced police visits and near-weekly raids on weekend nights over a six-month span, despite court records showing no upheld municipal violations or criminal incidents at the venue, the wire service reported.

A Complaint Overturned, Then a Resignation

Following an April 2023 raid, Kelly filed a police misconduct complaint that the Civilian Complaint Review Board substantiated. But outgoing NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban personally overturned that finding in late August 2024, clearing three officers of wrongdoing, according to the same AP News account. The reversal came just weeks before Caban's own downfall.

City Hall terminated Martin for cause the following month after an internal review prompted by public reporting and text message records documenting his role in referring Kelly to James Caban, per CBS News. Around the same time, federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York executed search warrants and seized cellphones from both Edward and James Caban as part of a federal corruption probe into nightclub enforcement, as reported by The Washington Post. Edward Caban resigned as NYPD commissioner on September 12, 2024, just 14 months after taking office, saying federal inquiries into his brother's nightlife consulting activities had become an unsustainable distraction for the department.

Defense Denials and a Cooperating Witness

Defense attorneys for James Caban issued a public statement denying all allegations of wrongdoing, maintaining that his private liaison work between nightlife venues and the NYPD was entirely lawful, CBS News reported. Following the closure of his business, Kelly met with federal prosecutors and the NYC Department of Investigation to hand over text messages and phone records as a cooperating witness, according to the AP News account.

James Caban is a former NYPD officer who transitioned into private nightlife consulting, and is the brother of former Commissioner Edward Caban, per News12 Brooklyn. The Civilian Complaint Review Board is an independent panel that investigates citizen misconduct complaints against police officers.

Part of a Broader City Hall Scandal

The alleged Coney Island shakedown unfolded against a backdrop of broader corruption probes that gripped City Hall in late 2024, including federal bribery charges against Mayor Eric Adams, who pleaded not guilty, and resignations across multiple city agencies, AP News reported. Hoodline previously covered the resignations shaking Adams’ administration as the federal probe into nightlife enforcement widened.

Kelly's newly filed lawsuit accuses the NYPD and the Adams administration of both extortion and harassment, seeking accountability for a business he says was destroyed by regulatory pressure rather than any legitimate violation. While the civil case pursues claims of systemic civil rights violations, criminal liability remains an open federal matter, with figures like James Caban continuing to insist their consulting work amounted to lawful liaison activity between nightlife venues and police.