Mayor Eric Adams speaks to the press in the course of the weekly briefing on the Metropolis Corridor concerning the ongoing applications in New York Metropolis.
Lev Radin | Lightrocket | Getty Photos
A former New York Metropolis official, who till Monday labored within the Adams administration, has been arrested and charged with witness tampering and obstruction of justice, in accordance with federal prosecutors.
In a brand new grievance from the U.S. Legal professional’s workplace for the Southern District of New York, prosecutors allege Mohamed Bahi, 40, organized fundraisers for Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 marketing campaign and accepted straw donations. Prosecutors say Bahi obstructed the federal investigation into these donations by deleting the encrypted messaging app Sign from his cellphone when FBI brokers arrived at his home in July 2024 with a search warrant.
Bahi can be accused of ordering “third events” to deceive federal brokers and did so after assembly with “OFFICIAL-1,” Adams, in accordance with the grievance.
“As alleged, Mohamed Bahi obstructed a federal legal investigation by instructing witnesses to lie after which destroying proof,” U.S. Legal professional Damian Williams stated in an announcement. “The fees unsealed as we speak ought to go away little doubt concerning the seriousness of any effort to intrude with a federal investigation, significantly when undertaken by a authorities worker. Our dedication to uncovering the reality and following the information wherever they might lead is unwavering.”
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Bahi’s legal grievance alleges that he organized a fundraiser on the Brooklyn headquarters of a development firm in December 2020, the place Bahi prompt that the corporate’s proprietor have his staff make donations to Adams’ marketing campaign after which refund the employees for the $2,000 funds – a bit of beneath the utmost allowed by any particular person donor within the metropolis.
4 staff and the proprietor made donations to the marketing campaign, with the employees’ funds reimbursed by the corporate, in accordance with the grievance. All have subsequently spoken to regulation enforcement, and the proprietor admitted his involvement within the unlawful straw donations, in accordance with prosecutors.
In his personal indictment, Adams can be accused of knowingly accepting unlawful donations from straw donors – in his case, conspiring to take marketing campaign contributions from Turkish nationals and disguising the funds by routing them via U.S. residents. That enabled Adams to unlock public funds that present an eight-to-one match for small-dollar donations, prosecutors stated.
Bahi is charged with witness tampering and destruction of information, every of which is punishable by as much as 20 years in jail, in accordance with prosecutors. He is the primary particular person aside from Adams to be charged within the investigation.
Mohamed Bahi seems, alongside his protection lawyer Kevin Puvalowski, earlier than United States Justice of the Peace Choose Robert W. Lehrburger on fees of witness tampering and destroying proof in reference to the prosecutors’ investigation of unlawful donations to the 2021 Eric Adams mayoral marketing campaign, at Federal Court docket in New York Metropolis, U.S., October 8, 2024 on this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
Bahi resigned Monday from his position Monday as Senior Liaison within the Group Affairs Unit. No motive was given for his departure however in an announcement on the time, a Metropolis Corridor spokesperson despatched an announcement thanking Bahi for his service. Data on a lawyer who may communicate on his behalf was not listed in an internet courtroom docket.
Adams, a Democrat, faces conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery fees in a five-count indictment outlining a decade-long path of corruption that started when he served as an elected official in Brooklyn and continued via his mayoral administration. The mayor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has vowed to remain in workplace.
“I’ll battle these injustices with each ounce of my power and my spirit,” he stated on the time of his indictment calling the costs towards him “based mostly on lies” and saying he was focused.
Bahi is predicted to seem earlier than a federal Justice of the Peace in Manhattan on Tuesday.
At a listening to final week, Assistant U.S. Legal professional Hagan Scotten stated prosecutors are pursuing “a number of associated investigations” and that it’s “possible” further defendants will probably be charged and “doable” that extra fees will probably be introduced towards Adams.
