On September 16th, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office issued a reminder to the public regarding the indictment of two former high-ranking officials of the New York City Fire Department, stating that over ten high-ranking officials of the New York City government are currently under investigation. However, most of the officials who have been searched have not yet been charged. Let’s now summarize the turbulence in the New York political scene.
1) Mayor’s Core Campaign Assistant
In November 2023, the FBI raided the home of Adam’s senior assistant, Brianna Suggs, who at 25 years old was a key fundraiser and chief advisor during Adam’s mayoral campaign in 2021.
The federal government’s arrest warrant stated they were looking for evidence of federal fund theft, wire fraud, conspiracy to steal federal funds, and conspiracy as part of a public corruption investigation. They were also investigating whether cash was illegally funneled into Adam’s 2021 mayoral campaign.
It was also rumored that the search was related to allegations involving the Mayor’s connections with the Turkish government and suspected pay-for-play schemes.
Last summer, federal agents seized Adam’s phone; this summer, the Manhattan federal prosecutor ordered the City Hall, Adam’s campaign team, and the Mayor himself to turn over documents, texts, and other records related to the investigation.
In February this year, federal agents raided the home of Adam’s another Chinese assistant, Winnie Greco, in the Bronx, in an attempt to search for emails and records related to Adam’s visits to China during his tenure as the Brooklyn borough president.
It is currently unclear what overseas evidence the federal government is interested in regarding Adam, and it’s worth noting that the investigation into Zheng is being led by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
2) Investigation into the Relationship between the Police Commissioner and Education Chancellor
On September 4th of this month, FBI agents raided the homes of Police Commissioner Edward Caban and two family members of the Education Chancellor – his girlfriend, Sheena Wright, who is also the Deputy Mayor, and his brother, Phil Banks.
Although no one has been charged yet as a result of this raid, it led to Caban, who had worked in the NYPD for over 30 years, resigning. It is reported that the federal authorities are also taking an interest in Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, who reportedly acts as a mediator between Manhattan luxury restaurants and nightclubs and the police department.
Likewise, the FBI issued a subpoena to another brother of the Education Chancellor, Terence Banks.
While the district prosecutors have not pressed charges against those who were searched, media reports have indicated that these searches are related to corruption and abuse of power for personal gain. The Associated Press revealed that investigators are looking into whether Terence’s company used his family connections to help private companies obtain city contracts, thereby violating the law.
Following the above investigations, this Monday (September 16th) saw charges brought against two former senior officials of the New York City Fire Department, who allegedly accepted illegal gains by expediting the processing of building fire safety certificates through their authority.
Over the past weekend, Adam’s Chief Legal Counsel, Lisa Zornberg, resigned suddenly.