Federal agents intensify probe into top officials in Mayor Eric Adams's administration

Federal agents have intensified scrutiny on the upper echelons of Mayor Eric Adams’s administration, executing searches and seizing phones of several high-ranking officials.

These actions, however, are reportedly separate from the ongoing federal investigation into Mayor Adams’s campaign fundraising practices.

The investigation has touched several key figures, including the city’s police commissioner, the first deputy mayor, the schools chancellor, the deputy mayor for public safety, and a senior adviser to the mayor.

Additionally, the home of a consultant, Terence Banks, who is the brother of the schools chancellor and one of the deputy mayors, was searched. The consultant recently established a firm aimed at bridging gaps in New York’s political and infrastructure landscape, yet he was unavailable for comment.

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The details surrounding these investigations remain ambiguous, with some suggesting a focus on senior City Hall officials and potentially implicating the police commissioner. Tarik Sheppard, the top spokesman for the Police Department, stated, “I could not confirm the search or subpoena of the police commissioner but said the agency would cooperate with the investigation.”

Representatives for other involved officials, such as the first deputy mayor Sheena Wright, Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III, and senior adviser Timothy Pearson, were either unreachable or declined to comment.

Despite the dramatic nature of the federal actions, none of the officials have been accused of any wrongdoing.

The investigations are being spearheaded by prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which is concurrently investigating Mayor Adams and his campaign’s alleged dealings with the Turkish government.

This separate probe seeks to determine if there was any unlawful collaboration involving foreign contributions and undue influence exerted by Mr. Adams, particularly concerning a new high-rise Turkish Consulate in Manhattan and other benefits received by the Mayor.