A former bar owner in Brooklyn says his party spot made him a target for noise complaints and a shakedown involving the police commissioner's brother.

Shamel Kelly, who owned a Coney Island establishment that served juice by day and alcohol by night on weekends, claimed that the police commissioner's brother, James Caban, told Kelly could broker a meeting with the local precinct commander to make his police problems go away.

"But it would cost a fee for him to make that happen for me," Kelly, owner of Juice and Moore, said. "I felt like it was an extortion situation." 

What You Need To Know

  • Brooklyn bar owner facing noise complaints claims he was extorted by former police commissioner's brother

  • Edward Caban, the former NYPD chief, resigned after he was served with a federal search warrant 

  • James Caban, the former police chief's twin brother, ran a nightlife consulting business

James Caban is a former NYPD official who ran a nightlife consulting business. He is the twin brother of former NYPD commissioner Edward Caban.  

Federal investigators issued search warrants against the police commissioner, his brother and other NYPD officials.

No charges have been filed.

The search warrant against Edward Caban led to his resignation as police commissioner.  

Kelly first made the charges last month and reiterated them Tuesday at a news conference with his attorneys outside of City Hall.

"Mr. Caban told him, I can help you with your problems. I can alleviate your issues with NYPD, but you'll have to pay me. You'll have to pay me $2,500 to start," Bernarda Villalona, attorney for Kelly, said. "It was supposed to be ongoing."

Kelly says he connected with Caban through a staffer in the mayor's community affairs unit named Ray Martin. Martin had since been fired after Kelly made his allegations of a shakedown public last month.

Mayor Eric Adams also briefly remarked about Kelly's claims.

"I haven't read the case and the accusations, but no one should treat a business owner unfairly in any way," Adams said. 

The NYPD and a representative for James Caban's attorneys declined comment.

At the time Kelly first made his allegations public, the attorneys said Caban denied any wrongdoing and that his work as a consultant acting as a liaison between a private company and the NYPD is legal.  

Kelly has spoken to federal investigators. His lawyers say they are planning a lawsuit.

"To me understanding, there've been several incidents where Mr. Kelly was subjected to illegal search and seizures by the 60th Precinct by the New York police department," Harry Daniels, Kelly's attorney, said.