Mayor Eric Adams on defensive after FBI raids homes of third campaign fundraiser
NEW YORK -- Mayor Eric Adams was on defense Friday after the FBI raided the homes of an aide who reportedly helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for his various political campaigns.
Winnie Greco, the mayor's director of Asian affairs, is the third Adams fundraiser targeted by the feds in two separate investigations.
City Hall sources told CBS New York that Greco is now on medical leave from her $100,000/year job because she suffered a medical incident during the raid that required agents to summon an ambulance.
When she's better, Greco can use up vacation time, sources said, and then will be on unpaid leave until the probe is complete.
"We're going to do an evaluation based on information that comes in," Adams said when asked if Greco will get her job back.
Adams did a round-robin on morning TV with his sanitation commissioner talking about plans to get garbage bags off the streets and into containers.
However, the hot topics of the day were the FBI raids on the Bronx homes owned by Greco and the New World Mall on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, the scene of several fundraising events for Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign.
Adams said he's focusing on his job, not the probe.
"Whenever there's an inquiry, the review must be done, and that's the process. My job is to stay focused on running the city. I'm not going to remove trash off the street and keep the city safe from violence if I'm distracted," said Adams.
The raids on Greco's homes and the mall are part of an investigation by prosecutors in Brooklyn. It occurred several months after the FBI, working with Manhattan prosecutors, raided the home of Adams' chief fundraiser, Briana Suggs, and a local Brooklyn business.
It is reportedly focused on whether the mayor's 2021 campaign conspired with Turkish officials to receive illegal foreign campaign donations.
So far, Adams has not been accused of any wrongdoing in either case.
"I am not worried. I've lived by one rule that I share with everyone. Follow the rules, follow the law. I did this my entire life as a law enforcement officer and I'm going to continue to do that," said Adams.
City Hall sources said the mayor's office asked the Department of Investigation to probe Greco's actions several months ago. The DOI probe followed reports by "The City" news site that exposed reportedly questionable fundraising practices and allegations of unethical conduct.
"Let's let the review take its course and we're going to do as we always say, cooperate, and I tell everyone follow the law," said Adams.
Vito Pitta, the mayor's campaign counsel, said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on an ongoing investigation, but he insisted that the campaign "has always and will always follow the law."
