Brad Badal’s Web of Corruption Reaches from NYPD to Morris County Courts—While His Shady Partner Bruce Bendell Hides in the Shadows From the IRS and Major Police Supply Corruption
By Richard Luthmann
John Bradley “Brad” Badal built his fortune supplying police cars. Now, he’s using his New Jersey political muscle to silence anyone exposing how he got there.
Brad Badal, a former Mendham Borough councilman, owns and runs Major Police Supply, a powerhouse government contractor with deep ties to the NYPD and NYC and NJ political machines.
But behind the glossy public image is a story of betrayal, fraud, and corruption spanning decades.
At the heart of it is Badal’s “silent partner,” Bruce Bendell.
Records show that Badal and Bendell have been at the center of Major Police Supply Corruption for the past thirty years.
MAJOR POLICE SUPPLY CORRUPTION: BADAL’S CORRUPT ENTERPRISE BUILT ON BETRAYAL
Brad Badal’s criminal enterprise reads like a blueprint for corruption, betrayal, and racketeering. It began in the late 1970s when he fled a failed police career and stumbled into car sales.
After struggling early on, he was rescued by Don Warnock, who mentored him and handed him control of Warnock Automotive’s government fleet division.
But loyalty was never Brad’s strong suit. By the late 1980s, he betrayed Warnock, stealing his customers and employees to launch his own business: Major Police Supply.
Desperate for cash to land lucrative government contracts, Brad turned to Bruce Bendell, a politically connected car dealer in New York. Bendell handed Brad $130,000 and a pipeline of vehicles in exchange for a secret deal—25% of Major Police Supply’s revenue forever.
That deal launched a decades-long corruption pipeline. With his ties to New York’s political elite, Bendell secured car contracts for NYPD while Badal provided the equipment. By 1989, they had locked down the largest police fleet contract in the country.
Badal expanded fast, securing exclusive deals with Federal Signal Corporation, making Major Police Supply the only game in town for NYPD police lighting.
He poached Warnock’s key installer, Kent Meinhold, and built out installation and radio divisions to maximize control and profits.
Florida was next. Badal lured Robert Windesheim into a 50/50 partnership, launching Emergency Vehicle Supply to dominate Florida’s underserved market. But when Windesheim pushed for growth, Badal betrayed him—sabotaging the business, forcing Windesheim into bankruptcy, and stripping him of his home and marriage.
By 2016, Badal partnered with Albert Espinosa to run Florida operations under Allstate Power and Public Safety Supply. That move opened new fronts for potential money laundering and political influence in Florida.
In 2022, Badal turned his predatory business model on his own wife, Cristin. After forcing her to rebuild his Florida empire, he staged a domestic violence claim, seized their son and home, and filed fraudulent documents in family court.
With his lawyer Jessica Sprague and Judge Peter Bogaard in his pocket, Badal weaponized Morris County’s legal system to crush Cristin and silence any media coverage.
Decades of betrayals, political deals, and court corruption left Badal untouched—until now.
NY POLITICS, POLICE CONTRACTS, AND BRUCE BENDELL’S DIRTY MONEY
Brad Badal’s rise would not have been possible without his silent partner, Bruce Bendell—a man with deep political ties and a long trail of fraud.
Once hailed as a “visionary” in the New York auto industry, Bendell built Major World into one of the largest car dealerships in the city. The DeBlasio administration spent millions at the “crooked car dealership.”
But behind the flashy ads and massive lots was a business model soaked in deception. In 2017, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs busted Major World for preying on low-income and immigrant car buyers.
Investigators uncovered that Bendell’s operation falsified credit applications, inflated customers’ income, and misled them about financing terms. Major World even failed to provide Spanish-language contracts to Spanish-speaking customers. The city forced the dealership to pay victims $3 million in restitution, calling it one of the most egregious consumer fraud cases in recent memory.
But the fraud didn’t stop there. In 2018, Bruce Bendell and his brother Harold pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud. Prosecutors proved they underreported millions in income and inflated expenses to dodge taxes. The Bendells paid nearly $4 million in restitution to the IRS, resigned from Major World, and narrowly avoided prison.
Despite the convictions, Bendell remained a key player behind the scenes—especially in his partnership with Badal. Bendell’s cash kept Major Police Supply alive in the early days. Their handshake deal gave Bendell 25% of the company’s revenue in perpetuity—a staggering arrangement that tied him directly to Badal’s law enforcement contracts.
Together, Bendell and Badal locked down the NYPD’s police fleet business. Bendell secured car supply contracts while Badal handled the upfitting, radios, and emergency vehicle equipment. Badal claimed his political reach ran through NYPD brass like Robert S. Martinez, head of NYPD Support Services, who insiders say Badla claimed protected their monopoly. Conversations with Martinez, a decorated NYPD Officer, tell a different tale than the one insiders say came out of Badal’s own mouth.
Badal’s exclusive deal with Federal Signal Corporation, arranged with Bendell’s backing, guaranteed that Major Police Supply controlled the NYPD’s emergency lighting contracts for 30 years.
“Brad and Bruce didn’t compete—they rigged the game from day one,” a source familiar with the contracts said. “Everyone knew Major Police Supply was untouchable.”
Now, despite federal convictions and city sanctions, Bendell continues operating in elite political and business circles. His “philanthropy” masks decades of fraud. At the same time, his silent stake in Major Police Supply keeps him tied to law enforcement contracts nationwide.
Even more, despite NYC’s Department of Investigation 2019 requirement that he divest from Major Automotive for the group to retain the NYPD fleet contract, Bendell remains the de facto operator of the business empire he built.
The Badal-Bendell partnership wasn’t built on business—it was built on corruption. And they’ve both gotten rich doing it.
LINGERING QUESTIONS
Now, the question remains: Is Badal and Bendell’s unreported “cash handshake deal,” which is still churning off annual profits and was never reported to the IRS as part of the criminal tax settlement, a violation of Bruce Bendell’s plea agreement with the Department of Justice?
It sure as hell looks like it.
We asked Bendell but received no answers at press time. Here is our inquiry:
From: Richard Luthmann <[email protected]>
Date: On Thursday, March 20th, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Subject: Inquiry related to business relationship with J. Bradley Badal
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
CC: Rick LaRivière <[email protected]>, Modern Thomas Nast <[email protected]>, [email protected] <[email protected]>, RALafontaine <[email protected]>, Michael Volpe <[email protected]>Dear Mr. Bendell,
We are investigative reporters and are about to go to press with an article about your relationship with J. Bradley Badal. Sources say you and Badal have had a “cash handshake deal” since the late 1980s that still churns out money annually, and that was never reported to federal authorities in connection with the resolution of your criminal tax case.
We wanted to give you a chance to tell your side of the story.
Questions on the “Cash Handshake Deal” and Financial Disclosures
1. Mr. Bendell, did you disclose your silent partnership and 25% revenue interest in Major Police Supply to the IRS or DOJ during your 2018 plea negotiations?
2. Was the $130,000 investment you made in Major Police Supply in the late 1980s reported on your personal or corporate tax returns?
3. Do you currently receive revenue or profit-sharing payments from Major Police Supply or any related entities?
4. Has any portion of your ongoing profits from Major Police Supply ever been reported to federal or state tax authorities?
5. Did your plea agreement require full disclosure of all revenue streams and partnerships? If so, why was your stake in Major Police Supply omitted?
6. Were the cash payments you received from Major Police Supply ever accounted for in your restitution payments to the IRS?
7. Do you believe your continuing secret profit participation violates your federal plea agreement or risks reopening your criminal case?Questions on Major Police Supply, Law Enforcement Contracts, and NYPD Ties
8. How did your financial and political connections help secure the NYPD and Port Authority contracts for Major Police Supply?
9. What role did you play in securing exclusivity for Major Police Supply with the Federal Signal Corporation?
10. Do you maintain any contact with Deputy Commissioner Robert Martinez or other NYPD officials related to Major Police Supply contracts?
11. Were you ever present for meetings between Brad Badal and political figures or NYPD leadership regarding government contracts?
12. Have you ever leveraged your political relationships to shield Major Police Supply from competitors or regulatory scrutiny?
13. How many government contracts involving Major Police Supply generated revenue that flowed back to you personally?Questions on Post-Plea Business Activities and Federal Oversight
14. Your 2018 federal plea agreement resulted in $3.8 million in restitution. Was that amount based on complete financial disclosure?
15. Since your guilty plea, have you continued to profit from any police or government fleet contracts through Major Police Supply or other entities?
16. Have you or Brad Badal created shell companies or layered entities to obscure your ownership or financial interest in police supply contracts?
17. Have you ever used Allstate Power, Public Safety Supply, or other Florida-based companies to continue earning from public safety contracts?
18. Did you disclose your ongoing financial ties to Major Police Supply when you resigned from Major World as part of the settlement?
19. Do you believe your continued earnings from Major Police Supply compromise your prior statements of full cooperation with the DOJ and IRS?Questions on Ethics, Corruption, and Accountability
20. What responsibility do you accept for helping Major Police Supply dominate the NYPD’s procurement process through political influence?
21. Do you acknowledge the potential conflict of interest in profiting off emergency vehicle contracts while facing federal tax fraud charges?
22. What is your response to allegations that you and Badal operated an unregistered financial partnership designed to evade taxes?
23. Do you expect new federal scrutiny now that this undisclosed revenue stream has come to light?
24. What is your response to Cristin Badal’s claim that Major Police Supply operates as part of a political corruption ring in NJ and NY?
25. Would you be willing to release your IRS filings and Major Police Supply’s financial records to prove full compliance?Again, we are going to press soon. Please provide your side of the story so we may present a fair and balanced perspective to the readership. If we receive your responses after we publish, we will include them in a follow-up.
Thank you in advance for your time.
Regards,
Richard Luthmann
Writer, Journalist, and Commentator
BETRAYAL AS A BUSINESS MODEL
Badal’s Florida expansion followed the same blueprint: find a partner, drain them dry, and then destroy them.
He sent his wife, Cristin Badal, to Florida to rebuild after sabotaging his first partner, Rob Windesheim. Cristin revived contracts, expanded federal sales, and grew revenue. Then Badal turned on her.
“He sent me down there to rebuild what he destroyed,” Cristin said. “Once I succeeded, he set me up and took it all.”
Badal had already done it once to Windesheim. After building Emergency Vehicle Supply into a $5 million business, Windesheim asked to expand. Badal exploded. Windesheim didn’t know Badal had secretly signed away Florida exclusivity to FSC, prioritizing his NYPD margins over Florida growth.
Windesheim lost everything—his home, his business, and his marriage. Sources say Badal was a driving force in Windesheim’s 2014 bankruptcy, and he walked away clean.
THE WEAPONIZATION OF FAMILY COURT
Badal’s latest scheme is unfolding in Morris County Family Court, where his political connections run deep. He’s desperate to keep information that could sink him and his shady partners, Bendell and Espinosa, from getting out.
Cristin Badal says Brad forged a prenuptial agreement, lied to judges, and staged domestic violence claims to seize their son, assets, and Florida home.
“This is judicial terrorism,” Cristin told SLAM THE GAVEL podcast. “Brad uses his money and connections to buy the outcome.”
Badal’s attorney, Jessica Ragno Sprague, filed court papers demanding a gag order on Cristin and journalists covering the case. She threatened podcasts, media outlets, and court critics with contempt and legal action.
Legal experts say Sprague’s moves violate the First Amendment and could trigger a massive anti-SLAPP lawsuit.
“Badal and Sprague crossed the line,” one legal analyst said. “This isn’t family court—it smacks of racketeering.”
Badal’s political tentacles run deep. He held local office. He’s tight with State Senator Anthony Bucco. Judges like Peter Bogaard—appointed by Chris Christie—handle his case.
The same players appear in multiple family court corruption cases, including the Monica Ciardi case, in which Judge Bogaard faced similar accusations of bias.
Bendell, meanwhile, still moves in elite circles—serving on boards, making “philanthropic” donations, and leveraging relationships from NYC to Trenton.
CONCLUSION: BADAL, BENDELL, AND THE SYSTEM ROTTEN TO THE CORE
Brad Badal built Major Police Supply through betrayal, fraud, and backroom deals. Bruce Bendell helped him, profited, and escaped federal prison.
Now, Badal uses the family court system the same way—weaponizing the law to crush his ex-wife, silence the press, and protect his empire.
Cristin Badal fights on.
“You can’t kill the truth,” she said. “The more they try, the bigger this story gets.”
Investigations are ongoing. So is the corruption.
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