Federal agents raided the Bronx home of a top aide to Mayor Eric Adams early Thursday morning.
The feds searched a Pelham Bay house at 1447 Gillespie Ave. on Feb. 29, according to a spokesperson for the FBI’s New York field office. The building is owned by Winnie Greco, the mayor’s Director of Asian Affairs and longtime aide, as first reported by News12.
“FBI New York carried out law enforcement activity at that location earlier today,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson declined to comment on whether the raid was connected to Greco, though an administration official said she was placed on leave starting Thursday. Additionally, the FBI did not say if the search was part of a broader federal probe into Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign.
According to a subsequent report from the news site THE CITY, the bureau also raided a second Bronx home of Greco’s and offices at the New World Mall in Flushing Queens, where the mayor’s campaign held numerous fundraisers. The New York Times reported the raids were connected to an investigation being conducted by the US Attoreny for the Eastern District of New York.
City Hall said Thursday that it had not been contacted by federal law enforcement, so it did not have additional information on what has shown up in news reports.
“Our administration will always follow the law, and we always expect all our employees to adhere to the strictest ethical guidelines,” a mayoral spokesperson said, in a statement. “As we have repeatedly said, we don’t comment on matters that are under review, but will fully cooperate with any review underway. The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing.”
The federal investigation into Adams’ 2021 campaign is looking to determine if the campaign colluded with the Turkish government to funnel illegal foreign donations into its coffers through straw donors.
The inquiry has involved high profile raids of other top officials in the mayor’s orbit, including his former chief fundraiser Brianna Suggs — who still retains a position on his campaign — and City Hall staffer Rana Abasova. The mayor himself had his phone and other electronic devices seized by federal agents on a Manhattan street in November.
Greco is currently the subject of a separate city Department of Investigation (DOI) probe looking into whether she used her government position for personal gain. DOI opened the investigation last November, following a report by THE CITY where it was alleged that Greco took actions like enlisting an Adams campaign volunteer to perform unpaid renovations on her Bronx home in order to get a job at City Hall and asking a business leader to make a $10,000 donation to a nonprofit she led in order to enter a Gracie Mansion event.
Greco has been a close Adams ally since his days as Brooklyn Borough President, when she worked as a volunteer liaison to the Chinese-American community and unpaid campaign fundraiser.
