Current:Home > reviewsEx-aide to NYC Mayor Eric Adams in plea discussions with federal prosecutors -MacroWatch
Ex-aide to NYC Mayor Eric Adams in plea discussions with federal prosecutors
View
Date:2025-04-17 08:16:23
NEW YORK (AP) — A former aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams is discussing a possible plea deal with federal prosecutors following his arrest last month on charges of witness tampering and destroying evidence, court papers show.
Mohamed Bahi, who served as City Hall’s chief liaison to the Muslim community, was arrested last month as part of a sweeping investigation into Adams and his campaign fundraising that led to the mayor’s indictment on corruption charges in September.
In a court filing made public this week, prosecutors said that conversations were underway with Bahi’s attorney “regarding a possible disposition of this case.” The filing did not elaborate on the nature of those discussions or whether a plea deal would require Bahi to cooperate with federal investigators.
Inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan were not returned. An attorney for Bahi, Derek Adams, also did not return a request for comment.
Adams pleaded not guilty to charges that he accepted bribes of free and discounted overseas vacations and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals, including a Turkish diplomat.
Bahi, 40, was charged two weeks later in a separate fundraising scheme. Prosecutors say he encouraged the owner of a Brooklyn construction company to reimburse four employees for their $2,000 donations to Adams, allowing the campaign to fraudulently obtain public matching funds.
An indictment said that after FBI agents contacted the construction company’s owner this summer, Bahi advised the businessman to lie to investigators, telling him that Adams believed he would not cooperate with law enforcement. As agents arrived to search Bahi’s own home in July, they say he deleted an encrypted messaging app from his cellphone that he had used to communicate with Adams.
Adams, a Democrat, denied that he had ever told a city employee to lie. And he has vowed to remain in office as he fights his own case. But the investigation has roiled City Hall in recent months, prompting resignations of the police commissioner, the schools chancellor and several top advisors to Adams.
On Friday, Adams’ longtime girlfriend, Tracey Collins, retired from her role as a senior advisor in the Department of Education. Prosecutors say she accompanied Adams on several trips abroad that were comped or heavily discounted by a Turkish official seeking to harness Adams’ influence.
At a hearing last month, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten said prosecutors are pursuing “several related investigations” and that it is “likely” additional defendants will be charged and “possible” that more charges will be brought against Adams.
Adams’ trial is scheduled to begin in April.
veryGood! (195)
Related
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- 3 dead, 5 wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, shooting
- Alaska’s Soon-To-Be Climate Refugees Sue Energy Companies for Relocation
- American Whitelash: Fear-mongering and the rise in white nationalist violence
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Biden promises internet for all by 2030
- Ulta 24-Hour Flash Deal: Save 50% On a Hot Tools Heated Brush and Achieve Beautiful Blowouts With Ease
- American Climate Video: A Maintenance Manager Made Sure Everyone Got Out of Apple Tree Village Alive
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Biden promises internet for all by 2030
Ranking
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Transcript: Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Face the Nation, June 25, 2023
- Montana bridge collapse sends train cars into Yellowstone River, prompting federal response
- Watch Salma Hayek, Josh Hartnett and More Star in Chilling Black Mirror Season 6 Trailer
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Water Use in Fracking Soars — Exceeding Rise in Fossil Fuels Produced, Study Says
- The Dropout’s Amanda Seyfried Reacts to Elizabeth Holmes Beginning 11-Year Prison Sentence
- RHONJ Reunion Teaser: Teresa Giudice Declares She's Officially Done With Melissa Gorga
Recommendation
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Skull found by California hunter in 1991 identified through DNA as remains of missing 4-year-old Derrick Burton
This Amazon Maxi Dress Has 2,300+ Five-Star Ratings— & Reviewers Say It Fits Beautifully
For the intersex community, 'Every Body' exists on a spectrum
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
Girlfriend of wealthy dentist Lawrence Rudolph, who killed his wife on a safari, gets 17 year prison term
Jana Kramer Recalls Releasing Years of Shame After Mike Caussin Divorce
Trump Admin Responds to Countries’ Climate Questions With Boilerplate Answers