Ex-chief of staff to former NYC Mayor Eric Adams charged with taking bribes

Adams was not accused of wrongdoing in Carone’s indictment. It 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.

“Frank Carone was entrusted to run our city government and instead put his own wealth and status above duty,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Winik told a court.

Carone lawyer Arthur Aidala said in a statement that 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. Sitting across from each other at a defense table, Anthony Carone rubbed his face and Frank Carone appeared to read along as a magistrate summarized the charges.

Frank Carone and the Sabrina Carpenter church video

Frank 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 financial dealings with a Roman Catholic church leader who let pop star Sabrina Carpenter film scenes for a provocative music video in the sanctuary.

Carone played a key role in Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign, then was 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.

Indictment focuses on how the hotel became a shelter

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 residents of its Queens neighborhood already were aggrieved about the prevalence of shelters.

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, 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.

Zhu “is anxious to establish his innocence,” lawyer Stephen Scaring said before the arraignments. All four defendants later were released on bond, ranging from $100,000 for Chen to $8 million for Zhu.

Police officials' homes searched in unrelated probe

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, and federal agents also searched former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey's home, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the searches. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the searches were part of a bribery investigation that grew out of an inquiry into Maddrey.

There was no immediate response to an inquiry to Maddrey's attorney. Attorney information for Sheppard and McCarthy was not immediately available.

There is no public indication of any arrests as part of those searches.

They 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.

Once the NYPD's highest-ranking uniformed officer, Maddrey resigned in 2024 over allegations that he demanded sex from a subordinate in exchange for opportunities to earn extra pay. Maddrey denied the claims of a quid pro quo.

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.

Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut, and Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report.