NEW YORK (AP) – A former New York City official was indicted Tuesday on charges of witness tampering and destroying evidence in a wide-ranging federal investigation. Mayor Eric Adams indicted on charges He accepted bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign interests.
The arrests come as federal prosecutors dig deeper into allegations that the mayor used staff to cover up wrongdoing and the exodus of top Adams administration officials continues.
Mohamed Bahi, who resigned as the mayor’s liaison to the Muslim community on Monday, accused a businessman of soliciting illegal straw donations from four of the businessman’s employees and lying to the FBI about it. He is accused of making a report.
At one point, prosecutors said, Bahi told the businessman that Adams believed the man would not cooperate with law enforcement. When investigators arrived to search Bahi’s home in July, she reportedly deleted the encrypted messaging app she used to communicate with Adams from her phone.
Adams denied at a news conference Tuesday that he had any role in instructing anyone to lie. “I would never instruct anyone to do anything illegal or inappropriate,” he said.
Bahi, 40, was arrested early Tuesday morning and released on his own recognizance after a brief appearance in federal court in Manhattan. He was not required to make a statement and was ordered to provide travel documents and not contact any witnesses.
Bahi is the first person other than the mayor to be charged in the investigation. Adams on Tuesday praised him as a “thoughtful” liaison who worked to “really quiet the noise of some of the conflicts that we’re seeing today.”
Adams, a Democrat, has maintained a busy schedule in recent weeks, allowing him to simultaneously lead the city with an upbeat tone at press conferences, defend in court and rebuild an administration battered by a federal investigation and resignation. he claimed.
Adams portrayed the parade of high-level departures from the administration as unrelated to any criminal investigation, a claim contradicted by statements from some former officials.
Sheena Wright, the city’s first deputy mayor, submitted her resignation Monday, a day after Adams confirmed the resignations of her brother-in-law Philip Banks, who served as deputy mayor for public safety, and Winnie Greco, the city’s Asia director. . . Wright’s representatives did not give a reason for his resignation.
Mr Adams announced last week that Chancellor David Banks, Mr Wright’s husband and brother of Philip Banks, would retire later this month rather than at the end of the year as planned.
Police Commissioner Edward Cavan resigned last month, saying he did not want the investigation to become a “distraction” for the force. The mayor’s senior advisor, Timothy Pearson, also resigned. All six officials had their devices seized by federal agents. Each denies wrongdoing.
After pleading not guilty, Adams vowed to remain in office and seek re-election next year. Prices from September 27th They claimed to have accepted approximately $100,000 worth of free or deeply discounted international flights, hotel accommodations, meals and entertainment, and solicited illegal campaign contributions from representatives of Turkish and other foreign interests.
At last week’s hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten said prosecutors: “Several related investigations” are underway He said it is “likely” that additional defendants will be indicted and that further charges could be filed against Adams.
Adams’ office confirmed Monday that another aide, Lana Abbasova, had been fired. She was the mayor’s director of international relations and protocols and was involved in events central to the indictment, including fundraising and accompanying the mayor on a trip to Turkey. She has been on unpaid leave since the FBI searched her home last year. Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, said she is now a “key witness” for the prosecution.
Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove Adams from office, said last week that she was working with the mayor to “make sure we have responsible people” in key positions.
“We expect change, it’s no secret, and change has begun,” Hochul said.
Mr. Adams denied on Tuesday that Mr. Hochul had agreed to any personnel changes, including the decision to appoint Maria Torres Springer to replace Mr. Wright as first deputy mayor. Torres Springer previously served as Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, Housing and Workforce Development.
According to Mr. Bahi’s criminal complaint, Mr. Bahi organized a fundraiser for Mr. Adams in December 2020 at the headquarters of a construction company in Brooklyn, where Mr. Bahi asked the company’s owner to ask his employees about Mr. Adams. He allegedly asked the employee to make a donation to his campaign and then offered to refund the $2,000 he paid to the employee. That’s below the limit allowed for individual donors in the city.
Four employees and the owner made donations, and the company reimbursed the employees, according to the complaint. Prosecutors said everyone later spoke to law enforcement and the owners admitted their involvement in the illegal straw donation.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement that Bahi’s accusations “lead no doubt about the seriousness of any effort to obstruct a federal investigation, especially when committed by a government official.”
“Our resolve to uncover the truth and follow the facts wherever they lead is unwavering,” Williams said.
Adams is also accused of knowingly accepting illegal donations from straw donors. His indictment alleges that he received campaign contributions from Turkish citizens and conspired to disguise those payments through U.S. citizens. This allowed Mr. Adams to unlock public funds and provide small donations at an 8-to-1 ratio, prosecutors said.
Adams reiterated Tuesday that he had never instructed anyone to break the law, but declined to answer questions about whether he had spoken to Bahi or Abbasova about donating straw.
According to Bahi’s criminal complaint, federal and city authorities began investigating his straw donations to the Adams campaign in 2021, when he was running for mayor while serving in another office, as Brooklyn borough president. It is said that Adams will become mayor in 2022.
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Associated Press journalists Ruth Brown and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.
