Fbi Raids Home Of Longtime Eric Adams Aide

NEW YORK — Federal agents raided the home Thursday morning of an aide to Mayor Eric Adams, marking the latest action from federal law enforcement against a member of the New York City Democrat’s inner circle.

Following the raid, City Hall officials confirmed the official, Winnie Greco, has been placed on leave from her $100,000-a-year role.

Early Thursday morning, law enforcement officials descended upon the Bronx home of Greco, a special adviser to the mayor and director of Asian affairs. Greco has been an ally of Adams’ going back a decade, serving as an informal liaison to Chinese American communities and assisting with his 2021 mayoral campaign.

The goal of the raid was not immediately clear. But Greco, whose Chinese name is Zheng Qirong, recently found herself in the crosshairs of the city’s Department of Investigation following reporting by The City that she tried to solicit donations to a nonprofit she ran to grant access to a government event. She was also accused of asking an Adams campaign volunteer to help renovate the kitchen in her Bronx home for no pay in return for helping to secure him a government job

An FBI spokesperson confirmed agents from the New York office conducted a law enforcement action at the address of a Pelham Bay home belonging to Greco. News 12 the Bronx first reported the investigation.

Thursday’s visit by federal gumshoes comes on the heels of a seemingly much broader raid the FBI conducted in November involving other Adams staffers. Agents fanned out across the city to collect evidence and conduct interviews, including at the homes of campaign fundraiser Brianna Suggs and international affairs aide Rana Abbasova. That probe is reportedly part of an investigation into alleged collusion between Adams’ 2021 campaign and the Turkish government. It was not clear if the investigation and Thursday’s raid are connected.

A spokesperson for the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which is reportedly leading that investigation, declined to comment.

“Our administration will always follow the law, and we always expect all our employees to adhere to the strictest ethical guidelines. As we have repeatedly said, we don’t comment on matters that are under review, but will fully cooperate with any review underway,” a City Hall spokesperson said in a statement. “The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing.”

Greco previously ran a food export business before entering politics. She also leads the Sino-America New York Brooklyn Archway Association, which has aimed to get a Chinese arch built in the Chinese enclave of Sunset Park.

Joe Anuta contributed to this report.