Federal authorities have laid siege to Mayor Eric Adams’ administration for greater than a 12 months — and their dragnet seems to have tightened in latest weeks as brokers launched a shocking collection of raids on Hizzoner’s prime lieutenants, closest political allies and most trusted aides.
The Southern District of New York is working a number of of the investigations. However the feds have remained tight-lipped in regards to the probes — together with their goals, potential costs and the way they could entwine with one another.
Right here’s what we all know in regards to the investigations, raids, costs and different authorized woes encircling the Adams administration:
Adams’ 2021 mayoral marketing campaign
Final November, federal brokers burst into the Brooklyn house of Brianna Suggs, a 25-year-old fundraiser with shut ties to Adams’ internal circle — together with Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the so-called Lioness of Metropolis Corridor who acts as Hizzoner’s chief advisor and gatekeeper.
Authorities are stated to be investigating Suggs — a key marketing campaign operative who claimed to have raised greater than $18 million for the mayor — for a attainable kickback scheme involving the Turkish authorities and a Brooklyn-based building firm.
The feds’ warrant stated they have been searching for proof of theft of federal funds, wire fraud, conspiracy to steal federal funds and conspiracy as a part of a public corruption probe inspecting whether or not money was illegally funneled into Adams’ 2021 mayoral marketing campaign.
Investigators are additionally wanting into airline upgrades and a plan to fast-track the opening of the Turkish authorities’s new diplomatic headquarters in Manhattan, sources have stated.
This summer time, Manhattan federal prosecutors ordered Metropolis Corridor, Adams’ marketing campaign and the mayor himself to show over paperwork, texts and different information tied to the investigation.
No costs have been filed.
The NYPD commissioner and his twin brother
Sources say the feds have focused now ex-NYPD commissioner Edward Caban and his twin brother, James, as a part of a sweeping corruption probe involving influence-peddling.
Caban — who had been with the NYPD for greater than three many years — stepped down final week after federal brokers confirmed up on the door of his Rockland County house, waving warrants and demanding his digital units.
Authorities did the identical factor to ex-cop James Caban, who lives throughout the road from his brother, as a part of an inquiry into James’ work as a “fixer” for ritzy Manhattan eating places and nightclubs who have been working into issues with the police.
Neither have been charged or accused of any wrongdoing.
Shut aides David, Phil and Terence Banks
The three Banks brothers — Colleges Chancellor David, Deputy Mayor for Public Security Phil and personal guide Terence — are additionally targets of Manhattan federal prosecutors, whose brokers seized their digital units throughout the run of sweeping raids earlier this month.
Much like the opposite inquiries, the Banks brothers are suspected of partaking in a corruption and influence-peddling scheme — specifically, whether or not ex-cop Phil Banks had a hand in steering metropolis contracts to brother Terence’s purchasers, sources stated.
Because the raids — which additionally ensnared David Banks’ companion, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright — experiences have surfaced that one in every of Terence’s purchasers, the training know-how firm 21stCentEd, snagged a gathering with the faculties chancellor lower than a month after hiring Terence to signify them.
Investigators are wanting into whether or not Terence’s agency, the Pearl Alliance, broke the legislation through the use of his household connections to assist non-public companies get metropolis contracts, a supply advised The Related Press.
None have been accused of a criminal offense.
Winnie Greco
Federal brokers hit the Bronx house of one other one in every of Adams’ prime aides, Winnie Greco, again in February as they looked for emails and information about journeys the mayor made to China throughout his years because the Brooklyn Borough President.
Greco, then a volunteer who ran the non-profit Sino-America New York Brooklyn Archway Affiliation Corp., had put the journey collectively, sources stated.
It’s not clear what proof the federal government was seeking to discover about Adams’ abroad adventures, or the way it might need match into a bigger corruption investigation involving Greco and the mayor, which is alleged to be run out of the Jap District of New York.
Greco had beforehand been scrutinized by the town’s Division of Investigation over allegations she wrongly used her place at Metropolis Corridor to get perks — similar to renovations to her properties.
Eric Ulrich
Eric Ulrich, the previous head of the town Division of Buildings, is going through costs of buying and selling political favors in return for greater than $150,000 in bribes.
Ulrich, a 38-year-old former councilman from Queens who additionally labored briefly as Adams’ senior advisor, pleaded not responsible in September 2023 to 16 felonies stemming from a years-long scheme that prosecutors say netted him a premium $10,000 Mets season tickets bundle, a bespoke swimsuit and a portray by an apprentice of Salvador Dali, amongst different issues.
In return, Ulrich gave co-conspirators entry to high-ranking metropolis authorities officers that included invites to unique occasions and dinners — in addition to jobs for his or her members of the family, fast-tracked tasks and a litany of different corrupt practices and actions, prosecutors stated.
He allegedly used the money and items he obtained from his six co-defendants to reside giant and fund a playing behavior that concerned journeys to casinos and unlawful playing dens.
His case remains to be pending.
Retired FDNY Chiefs Anthony Saccavino and Brian Cordasco
Saccavino and Cordasco — as soon as the 2 highest rating members of the FDNY’s Bureau of Hearth Prevention — have been hit with a federal indictment Monday that accused them of allegedly accepting practically $200,000 in bribes.
The feds say the pair shaped a crooked “secret partnership” with a retired firefighter over two years to fast-track inspections about 30 totally different tasks within the Huge Apple in trade for the payoffs, in keeping with the Manhattan federal court docket indictment.
The retiree, Henry Santiago Jr., delivered cash-and-check kickbacks to the pair throughout steakhouse dinners and on the fireplace prevention bureau’s Brooklyn workplace, court docket papers stated.
“They allegedly created a VIP lane for sooner service that would solely be accessed with bribes,” stated Damian Williams, US Lawyer for the Southern District of New York. “That’s traditional pay-to-play corruption.”
Authorities charged each males with conspiracy to solicit and obtain a bribe, solicitation and receipt of a bribe, trustworthy companies wire fraud, conspiracy to commit trustworthy companies wire fraud, and making false statements. They’ve pleaded not responsible.
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