Philip Banks III among latest round of NYC Mayor Eric Adams' top officials to resign
NEW YORK -- New York City Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III is among the latest members of Mayor Eric Adams' inner circle to step down.
His departure comes amid a shakeup at City Hall and multiple federal investigations into the mayor's administration. Sources tell CBS News New York's Political Reporter Marcia Kramer three other officials are also leaving: Rana Abbasova, who has been terminated, and Winnie Greco and Mohamed Bahi, who have both resigned.
Banks' attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said in a statement Monday federal authorities informed them he is not a target of their investigation and "nothing about his resignation changes that fact."
"He sat down with me around about six months ago and stated that, 'Look, I'm looking to transition, Eric.' And I said, 'Listen, we've got a couple of things in the pipeline. Can you please hold on and get them done?' And he was willing to do that," Adams said Monday in an interview with NY1. "A long-time great public servant -- from the chief of department to the deputy mayor of public safety, all the initiatives, and even the last initiative he's doing with removing the ghost cars off our streets. I wish my good friend well."
Banks was appointed deputy mayor for public safety in January 2022. He previously served 28 years with the NYPD, becoming chief of department before stepping down in 2014.
Abbasova worked in the mayor's international affairs office and has reportedly been cooperating with the feds after sources said they searched her home last fall. Greco, a former Adams fundraiser who served as the mayor's director of Asian affairs, also had her home searched this spring. Bahi was a senior liaison with the community affairs unit.
"Both Winnie Greco and Mohamed Bahi today tendered their resignations. We thank them for their service to the city," a City Hall spokesperson said in a statement.
Banks among Adams' administrators raided by the feds
Philip Banks III is the brother of Schools Chancellor David Banks, who said last month he would retire at the end of the calendar year and then later announced he would actually be leaving in mid October.
Philip and David Banks had their phones seized by federal agents on Sept. 4, along with David Banks' now-wife Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who also plans to resign, according to reports. Philip and David Banks' other brother, Terence Banks, was also visited by investigators.
Adams has not commented on reports Wright allegedly plans to step down, only saying personnel changes are done in an organized manner.
Several other key members of the mayor's administration have stepped down in the weeks following the raids, including former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, senior advisor Timothy Pearson, Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan and Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg.
"No one stays in government forever. People transition in and out," Adams has said.
David Birdsell, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Kean University, said the mass exodus from the Adams administration is likely based on many factors.
"Yes, people do move on. Even in the squeakiest-cleanest administrations, you have people as you move toward the last year of an administration seeking to exit before everybody seeks to exit," Birdsell said. "That's, of course, what's not happening here. We have a mayor who is eligible to run for reelection and he's going to face an uphill battle."
Adams was indicted last month on federal charges of bribery, conspiracy and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals. He pleaded not guilty and has maintained his innocence and his ability to continue running the city.
"The question is can he put together a team and remain persuasively in charge of that team, arguing a vision for outcomes in the city that he can see through to term, and right now all of those questions are very much in doubt," Birdsell said.
So far, no one else has been charged with a crime, but the feds said it is "quite likely" they will file a superseding indictment, which could include more charges against the mayor or other defendants.