A former Adams administration official found himself booked on federal witness tampering charges Tuesday in connection with the criminal case involving Mayor Eric Adams, prosecutors announced.
Mohamed Bahi, 40, served as Mayor Eric Adams’ senior liaison to the Muslim community for the past two years before tendering his resignation on Monday, making one of several senior City Hall aides who have left the administration weeks after the mayor was criminally indicted on bribery and fraud charges.
Federal prosecutors, however, allege that Bahi had taken steps to interfere with the mayor’s investigation that led to Adams’ indictment.
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), Bahi allegedly instructed key witnesses to lie in the investigation leading up to the historic indictment of the mayor. Moreover, federal agents found that Bahi allegedly deleted a smartphone app that he used to communicate with the mayor, identified by prosecutors as “Official-1” in the criminal complaint against Bahi announced Tuesday.
“The charges unsealed today should leave no doubt about the seriousness of any effort to interfere with a federal investigation, particularly when undertaken by a government employee,” said US Attorney Damian Williams of the SDNY, who is also prosecuting the case against Mayor Adams. “Our commitment to uncovering the truth and following the facts wherever they may lead is unwavering.”
Mayor Adams has repeatedly denied the accusations in the indictment and has rebuffed numerous calls to resign. When asked about the charges against Bahi at his off-topic briefing Tuesday at City Hall, Mayor Adams told reporters, “I will never instruct anyone to do anything illegal or improper.” He also praised Bhai’s service during his administration and suggested that his former aide’s attorneys “can speak for his case.”
“Bhai was one of the top Muslim liaisons even before joining the mayor’s office,” Adams said. “I always found him to be thoughtful, to be willing to go into all the communities, but what he has done to really bring down the noise in some of the conflicts we’re seeing today. I think the record will speak loudly for what he has committed, but he has attorneys. Let his attorneys handle his case, just as attorneys should do.”
One of the focal points of the indictment against Mayor Adams is the alleged acceptance of straw contributions which his 2021 mayoral campaign then used as leverage to unlawfully obtain 8-to-1 matching funds from the city’s Campaign Finance Bureau (CFB). In a straw contribution, a donor provides others with money to make donations in their own names to a campaign.
Federal prosecutors said that Bahi, who worked for the Adams’ campaign, arranged a December 2020 fundraiser at the Brooklyn offices of a construction company whose CEO arraigned for four employees to make straw contributions to the campaign.
The scheme was reported to the city’s Department of Investigation (DOI) and the FBI, which launched an investigation that eventually led to the construction company CEO. On June 13 of this year, federal agents raided the CEO’s home and served both him and the straw donors with grand jury subpoenas to testify in the case.
Shortly after the raid occurred, according to the charges announced on Oct. 8, Bahi met with the CEO privately and advised him to lie to federal investigators. He allegedly would make the same instructions when meeting with the CEO and the straw donors together.
A month later, on July 24, FBI agents raided Bahi’s home and seized his cellphone in connection with the investigation. Upon searching the device, however, investigators learned that Bahi deleted the Signal app, an encrypted messaging program that they ascertained Bahi had previously used to communicate with the mayor.
“As charged, this former City Hall official advised witnesses to lie and destroyed evidence in connection with the investigation of straw contributions to the 2021 Mayoral campaign,” said DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber. “These are serious offenses, and DOI thanks our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI for their commitment to maintaining integrity in investigations.”
Bahi was charged with one count each of witness tampering and destruction of records; each count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison upon conviction.
The SDNY advised anyone with information about Bahi or other New York City employees being allegedly involved in bribery, fraud or other criminal activity to contact the DOI at 212-825-2828 or by email at tipline@doi.nyc.gov. You can also submit such information to the SDNY Whistleblower Pilot Program via email at USANYS.WBP@usdoj.gov.
With reporting by Ethan Stark-Miller. Updated on Oct. 8 at 12:58 p.m.
