NYPD whistleblower sarge busted in brawl at Chelsea club

A whistleblower NYPD sergeant who exposed police corruption in Queens was arrested Thursday for his role in a brawl at a Manhattan nightclub, police sources said.

Sgt. Steven Lee, 43, was accused of assaulting two 24-year-old men and a 25-year-old woman during a fight at the Marquee, a club at 10th Ave. and W. 27th St. in Chelsea, at about 2 a.m. Saturday.

After his arrest on three counts of misdemeanor assault, he was issued a desk appearance ticket and released, said police sources. The desk appearance ticket means he did not have to post bail, and faces arraignment at a future date in Manhattan Criminal Court.

“Steven Lee maintains his innocence, and we look forward to meeting with a prosecutor,” said his lawyer, Joe Murray.

Lee says he went undercover as part of an Internal Affairs Bureau probe of the 109th Precinct in 2014 and 2015 meant to expose cops who took payments from karaoke bar managers in exchange for quashing arrests and tipping them off about police raids.

In 2018, he sued the NYPD, accusing the department of retaliating against him and covering up the scope of the scandal.