Scandal-plagued deputy mayor Phil Banks, close Adams friend, resigns

Scandal-plagued Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks has resigned, succumbing to weeks of pressure amid federal probes that ensnared both him and his longtime friend Mayor Eric Adams, sources told The Postl.The resignation, which sources said was submitted Sunday night, is the latest high-profile departure from Adams’ administration – and is certain to raise further questions about whether the mayor himself can endure after his historic federal indictment.Federal agents raided Banks’ home in Queens and seized his devices early Sept.4.Banks had since resisted calls for his resignation, including from The Post’s editorial board, which have intensified amid the drip-drip of details about the federal probe.Sources had told The Post that Banks dug in his heels over departing his job, but his resistance evidently broke down.His resignation comes on the heels of his and Adams’ friend Tim Pearson, a retired NYPD inspector who served as a top aide to the mayor and oversaw migrant security contracts, also stepping down amid federal scrutiny.The tumult comes as Adams faces five criminal counts in a bombshell federal indictment.The feds’ investigation of Banks focused on whether he steered city contracts toward companies repped by his younger brother Terence’s consulting firm, which inked millions of dollars worth of deals with the city, sources have said.Firms said to be working with Terence Banks that scored public contracts include app-maker Saferwatch, IT companies Derive Technologies and SVAM International and grocery store delivery app Mercato, records show.The elder Banks and his brother are both regulars at swanky Manhattan nightclubs and cigar bars, insiders said.Banks has long been a controversial and powerful figure in Adams’ administration.As deputy mayor for public safety, Banks was viewed by many as akin to a shadow police commissioner.

He repeatedly bypassed Adams’ first NYPD top cop Keechant Sewell, who grew so frustrated that she ultimat...