Federal agents arrested former New York Mayor Eric Adams’s chief of staff as part of a wider corruption investigation, according to several outlets.
Frank Carone, Adams’s first chief of staff, was reportedly arrested with three others as part of a bribery probe. A person familiar with the matter identified to Politico the other three as Anthony Carone, Carone’s younger brother and business partner; Yan Po Zhu, Queens hotel owner; and Crystal Chen, a Yan employee.
In a statement, New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau and the FBI executed joint search warrants as part of an investigation concerning “conduct by former and current members of the NYPD.”
“When I became Police Commissioner, I promised New Yorkers that under my leadership the NYPD would conduct itself with integrity and that there would be a thorough investigation of any claim that members of service failed to meet that standard,” she added. “This investigation and our actions this morning are part of the ongoing effort to fulfill that commitment and hold the Department to its highest ideals.”
The indictments are expected to be unsealed later on Wednesday. Todd Shapiro, a spokesman for Adams, defended Carone, saying he “dedicated decades of his life to public service, the legal profession, and helping countless individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations throughout New York,” Politico reported.
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“This is an ongoing legal matter and my prayers are with his family,” he added.
Adams’s corruption allegations have continued to pursue him after he left City Hall, with many of his associates being caught in the net.