The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday charged the former head of the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) School Safety Division with allegedly taking multiple bribes from a businessman who, per documents, called himself his “whore” and “sugar daddy.”
Authorities arrested former NYPD School Safety Division Commanding Officer Kevin Taylor and Geno Roefaro, the CEO of Florida-based security app SaferWatch, on Thursday morning, according to a DOJ press release. Taylor accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes and gifts from Roefaro in exchange for lobbying the NYPD to approve an $11 million contract with the app, according to an unsealed indictment reported by the New York Post.
Roefaro treated Taylor to a Las Vegas getaway that included a helicopter ride and “medieval-themed dinner” as well as a separate Bahamas trip, according to court documents, the NY Post reported. The businessman eventually accused Taylor of not holding up his end of the bargain during an intense exchange on the messaging app Signal, per the documents.
“Our company (ME) needs to report something real and significant that is in place prior to end of year,” he allegedly texted Taylor in a bizarre rant on the encrypted app Signal.
“If not, I’m f–ked. And you don’t want me to be f–ked. I’m both your whore and your sugar daddy all in one,” Roefaro wrote in a signal message to the former NYPD official.
A spokesperson for the NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Public Information (DCPI) told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the department suspended Taylor in March 2025 — only for the ex-school safety chief to retire the same month.
“The NYPD holds our officers to the highest standards, and it is unacceptable when those standards are violated by any member of this department,” the spokesperson told the DCNF in a statement. “There is zero tolerance for misconduct, and that’s why we played a significant role in this investigation. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their partnership on this case.”
The bribes were part of a greater scheme for Roefaro’s company to get a lucrative New York City contract that also implicated two brothers who both served as key officials in the administration of former Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, The City reported.
“The NYPD is the greatest police force in the world, including because it invests wisely and honestly in resources,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said via the DOJ press release. “The NYPD procurement process is not for sale.”
Clayton noted that the indictment against Clayton also alleges that the ex-police officer “used his influence within the NYPD to attempt to extort at least two other businessmen,” in addition to Roefaro.
“Former NYPD Commanding Officer Kevin Taylor allegedly accepted bribes to steer city contracts to a co-defendant, Geno Roefaro, and attempted to extort another company,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. said via the press release. “His [Taylor’s] alleged actions corrupted the city’s contracting process and manipulated high-level executives.”
Roefaro’s company, SaferWatch, describes itself on LinkedIn as a “mobile application [that] connects staff, students, teachers, parents and law enforcement during Emergency and Non-emergency situations.”
“Users can report incidents via text, audio, video, pictures and GPS location,” the company’s LinkedIn description adds.
The app’s website lists Roefaro as a co-creator of the platform.
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