A “relentless” NYPD captain sexually harassed a married detective — including sending her pictures of his penis apparently while at work and asking for her panties — suggesting there’d be work perks if she played along, new court papers allege.
NYPD Det. Michelle Almanzar of the 50th Precinct in the Bronx says that over an 18-month period, Capt. Brian Flynn subjected her to a campaign of harassment and retaliated when she rebuffed his advances, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit from Wednesday.
Flynn “was relentless, constantly texting her,” Almanzar’s lawyer Leslee Schwartz told The Post. “If she blocked his number he made it known that he was not going to stand for it.”
Flynn — a married father who was transferred to the 50th Precinct in 2021 — started making “sexually charged comments” via text and in person, including sending Almanzar “pictures of his penis and napkins with ejaculate on it, which appeared to be taken in his office,” the suit claims.
He asked for racy pictures of her and indicated he’d trade work perks “as long as she continued to allow his advances,” the court papers allege.
“I was going to give you a Commander’s Day if you just gave me your panties,” Flynn said in a text to Almanzar, according to the suit.
Almanzar tried to block Flynn’s number multiple times, but each time he “reacted in a negative fashion” including making her stay late to redo reports, or denying her request for a day off,” the filing claims.
If the mom of one “wanted time off for her son’s first day of preschool, she had to kiss ass, she had to accept his harassment or she wasn’t getting it,” Schwartz said.
And when Almanzar tried to stop Flynn’s messages, “he would often take his frustration out on her work partners as well as her team,” the court documents claim.
Others in the precinct were aware of the harassment and would tell her “just keep him happy,” the filing claims.
Alamanzar was so anxious about the harassment that she tried to not speak with him alone and refused to go to the work restroom without someone else because it was right by Flynn’s office, the suit alleges.
On one occasion when Almanzar blocked Flynn’s number from her phone “in an attempt to ‘show her who’s boss'” Flynn posted pictures around the office of a rat in a costume with her name on them, the suit claims.
Things came to a head when Almanzar asked for a day off after her grandmother died, Schwartz said.
Flynn “basically told her she had to behave. That was it” for Almanzar, Schwartz said.
Despite being “extremely fearful for her safety as well as that of her family,” Almanzar in November made a complaint to the department’s Equal Employment Opportunity division, the filing says.
As a result, Flynn ended up being transferred to another precinct.
At 4 a.m. the day after his transfer, he was waiting at the precinct for Almanzar, the suit claims.
And following Almanzar’s meeting with the Internal Affairs Bureau, sergeants at the precinct yelled “You couldn’t just keep him happy, now look, we are all under the microscope,” the court papers allege.
When she pushed back, they said “we figured you liked it,” the suit claims.
Almanzar says ever since her complaint she’s been kept from investigations, the filing says.
While she heard Flynn is facing discipline for unrelated claims, the NYPD has “taken no action to assure that defendant Flynn does not harass any other female employees,” the suit charges.
She is suing for unspecified damages.
“The NYPD will decline comment on pending litigation,” said an NYPD spokesperson.
“The Department does not tolerate sexual harassment and is committed to respectful work environments for our diverse workforce,” the statement continued. “The NYPD thoroughly investigates all complaints it receives, and offers several reporting options for NYPD employees, including anonymously.”
A number could not be found for Flynn.
Additional reporting by Amanda Woods