Federal agents searched NYC Mayor Eric Adams' top adviser's two homes on Thursday.
Winnie Greco, Adams' longtime fundraiser and Asian affairs director, owned two Bronx properties where FBI agents conducted morning raids. The investigation's goal and connection to Adams were unclear. Another sign of law enforcement's increasing monitoring of the Democratic mayor and his entourage.
A source said the Brooklyn U.S. attorney's office oversaw Thursday's raid, which was separate from a Manhattan federal prosecutor's probe that led FBI agents to grab Adams' gadgets as he left an event last autumn.
This individual told The Associated Press anonymously because they couldn't discuss the probe. Greco's neighbors reported federal officers investigated two homes on the same block at 6 a.m. for hours.
A City Hall spokeswoman confirmed Greco was on leave Thursday. For nearly a decade, she has been Adams' fundraising contact with Asian-American groups in the city. In November, the city's Department of Investigation began investigating her political fundraising and use of her administration position for personal advantage after a news report raised concerns.
Three Adams aides' homes were seized by federal agents. In November, the FBI raided Adams' top fundraiser Brianna Suggs and international affairs office employee Rana Abbasova's home. Four days later, operatives stealthily stole the mayor's phone and iPad as he exited a Manhattan event.
According to a warrant obtained by The New York Times, Manhattan prosecutors are examining whether the Adams campaign coordinated with the Turkish government to receive unlawful campaign contributions through straw contributors. Adams has repeatedly denied being charged in the investigation.
“Our administration will always follow the law, and we always expect all our employees to follow the strictest ethical guidelines,” a mayor spokesperson said Thursday. “As we have repeatedly said, we don't comment on matters under review but will fully cooperate with any review.”
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