Chief of staff to former New York Mayor Eric Adams, 3 others arrested in bribery probe

Key Points:

• Frank Carone, former chief of staff to ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, was indicted for accepting over $100,000 in bribes to secure a migrant shelter contract for a Queens hotel, alongside charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice.
• The indictment alleges Carone, his brother Anthony, hotel owner Yan Po Zhu, and employee Crystal Chen conspired to steer a multimillion-dollar emergency shelter contract to Zhu's hotel, despite the city's Social Services Department initially rejecting the hotel's application.
• Carone's lawyer criticized the indictment as a misuse of resources, while Zhu's lawyer stated his client intends to plead not guilty; the defendants face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
• Separate federal search warrants were executed on homes of current and former NYPD officials, including Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, in an unrelated bribery investigation linked to Adams' administration.
• Eric Adams, who was previously indicted on unrelated bribery charges that were dismissed, was not implicated in Carone’s case; Carone was a key figure in Adams' political rise and served as his chief of staff in 2022.