An ex-Metropolis Corridor official accused of namedropping Eric Adams whereas encouraging a marketing campaign donor to misinform the FBI is mulling a possible plea deal — elevating the specter that he might find yourself cooperating within the federal corruption case in opposition to the mayor.
Courtroom papers filed this week state that attorneys for Mohamed Bahi, 40, and prosecutors are “engaged in, and are persevering with, discussions regarding a doable disposition of this case.”
Phrases of a possible deal weren’t revealed within the paperwork filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal courtroom, nor whether or not he would comply with testify in opposition to Adams.
However the talks’ existence prompted Decide Jennifer Willis to grant a request by prosecutors within the Southern District of New York to freeze the trial clock for Bahi, giving them 30 days to hash out potential phrases together with his protection attorneys.
A supply near Adams’ authorized workforce claimed that probably getting Bahi to flip in opposition to the mayor shortly after Tuesday’s election of Donald Trump appeared determined — with some in Hizzoner’s camp viewing his presidency as a seemingly boon to the mayor’s authorized possibilities.
“It might be extremely dangerous optics for SDNY on the final minute to submit new witness testimony as a part of their prosecution of the mayor based mostly on a plea deal they made after Trump was re-elected,” the supply mentioned.
Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his view that Adams has been wrongly persecuted by the feds, might both hamper the case in opposition to the mayor by appointing a brand new US legal professional and even pardon him if he’s convicted, some within the mayor’s orbit imagine.
The feds face a ticking clock in Adams’ corruption case to get all their proof in forward of the historic April trial of the sitting mayor.
He has pleaded not responsible to 5 counts of corruption and bribery.
Bahi’s arrest final month made him the primary Adams administration official to be publicly accused of crimes after the mayor’s personal indictment in September.
He had served because the mayor’s liaison to the Muslim neighborhood till he was pressured to resign at some point earlier than a bombshell witness tampering grievance was unveiled in opposition to him — and fleshed out prosecutors’ hints in Adams’ case that allies of the mayor allegedly tried to impede the FBI’s investigation.
Bahi dropped Adams’ title as he pushed a businessman — who seems to be Uzbek American contractor Tolib Mansurov — to misinform the feds about his unlawful straw donations to Adams’ 2021 mayoral marketing campaign, the grievance alleges.
The mayor, recognized as “Official-1″ within the grievance, “believed that the Businessman wouldn’t cooperate with legislation enforcement,” Bahi informed Mansurov, in keeping with the courtroom papers.
Bahi additionally inspired 4 of Mansurov’s staff — who allegedly made donations to the mayor on the businessman’s behalf to skirt marketing campaign finance legal guidelines — to lie, the papers cost.
He pleaded not responsible Oct. 8 and has been out on a $250,000 bond.
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