NEW YORK (AP) — A former chief of staff to ex-New York Mayor Eric Adams was arrested Wednesday in a bribery case, the latest sign that federal prosecutors continue to scrutinize Adams' inner circle months after the scandal-bruised Democrat left office.
The charges against Frank Carone are the latest in a string of corruption allegations leveled at the former mayor — who was himself indicted on bribery and other charges that were later dismissed — and key
aides. Separately, federal authorities searched the homes of current and former New York Police Department leaders Wednesday in connection with a different bribery investigation.
Adams was not accused of wrongdoing in Carone’s indictment, which alleges the ex-chief of staff exploited his position to get more than $100,000 in payoffs for steering a lucrative migrant shelter contract to a hotel that city social service officials had deemed unsuitable.
Carone’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said the indictment “epitomizes the government first finding a target and then spending three years and enormous taxpayer resources to find a crime.”
Carone's brother, Anthony Carone; hotel owner Yan Po Zhu, and hotel employee Crystal Chen also were charged with crimes that carry the potential for up to 20 years in prison if they are convicted. All pleaded not guilty through their attorneys.
Zhu “is anxious to establish his innocence," lawyer Stephen Scaring said.
Carone, a former Brooklyn Democratic Party lawyer and longtime political power broker, is widely credited as one of the architects of Adams’ political rise. He also drew attention for his role in an episode that led to a Brooklyn pastor being stripped of his duties partly for allowing pop star Sabrina Carpenter to film scenes for a provocative music video at his Roman Catholic church.
Carone played a key role in Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign and served as Adams’ chief of staff in 2022. In 2023, Carone formed a political consulting firm.
Carone “dedicated decades of his life to public service, the legal profession, and helping countless individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations throughout New York,” Adams spokesperson Todd Shapiro said in a statement.
Starting in 2022, the city scrambled to expand its shelter capacity amid an influx of migrants. Zhu's hotel got $6.8 million to shelter some of the new arrivals, though the city’s Social Services Department had repeatedly rejected the facility, according to prosecutors. They said the hotel was small and was in a Queens neighborhood where residents were complaining about the prevalence of shelters that were already there.
Prosecutors said in court papers that Frank Carone accepted around $120,000 in bribes from Zhu and Chen to intercede on the hotel's behalf. The money was passed through Anthony Carone’s law firm, according to the indictment.
In a September 2022 text message exchange, Zhu asked Frank Carone for help getting the hotel an immediate one-year contract, according to the indictment. It said Carone replied by asking for the address, and Zhu gave it, adding: “Thank you my big guy.”
In December 2023, Zhu texted Carone: “I asked my partners to pay you for a year,” according to the document. Carone, who is also charged with obstruction of justice, deleted the message after learning he was under investigation, prosecutors said.
Separately Wednesday, the FBI and the NYPD executed search warrants at the homes of NYPD Chief of Manhattan South James McCarthy and former Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the searches. The home of Jeffrey Maddrey, the chief of department under Adams, was also searched by federal agents, the person said.
There was no immediate response to an inquiry to Maddrey's attorney. Attorney information for Sheppard and McCarthy was not immediately available.
The searches were not related to Frank Carone's arrest, according to another person familiar with the matter who also was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke on condition of anonymity. There is no public indication of any arrests as part of those searches.
Once the NYPD's highest-ranking uniformed officer, Maddrey resigned in late 2024 over allegations that he demanded sex from a subordinate in exchange for opportunities to earn extra pay.
Adams was indicted in 2024 on charges of accepting illegal campaign contributions from Turkish officials and others in exchange for political favors. The case was tossed by federal Justice Department leaders who said it was distracting Adams from assisting in Republican President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Adams has denied wrongdoing.
After skipping last year’s Democratic primary, Adams mounted but eventually abandoned an independent campaign for a second term.
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Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut, and Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report.
