Eric Adams has fired his intermediary with the Turkish government amid accusations that she agreed to tell prosecutors about bribes she allegedly arranged for him.
The shocks caused by the FBI’s indictment of New York’s mayor claimed more lives Monday when Rana Abbasova was fired and Asian affairs director Winnie Greco resigned from her position at City Hall.
Abbasova, the mayor’s former director of protocol for international affairs, has been on leave since the FBI raided her home in November last year.
The indictment accuses her of coordinating “many of the illegal campaign contributions and improper personal travel benefits” that the mayor allegedly received in exchange for granting planning favors to Turkish developers.
And his departure marks an ominous development for his former boss as he prepares to return to court on November 1.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams fired Rana Abbasova on Monday amid reports that she is cooperating with prosecutors in the federal bribery case against her.
Adams pleaded not guilty Sept. 27 to fraud and bribery charges in a case that marks a stunning fall for a man once touted as a future star of the Democratic Party.
His liaison work with Türkiye dates back to before Adams’ election as the city’s mayor in 2022 and to his years as mayor of Brooklyn.
The indictment alleges that during his interview with the FBI after the raid on his home, “he excused himself to go to the bathroom and, while there, deleted the encrypted messaging apps he had used to communicate with Adams, the promoter, the Turkish official , the airline Manager and others.
The mayor put her on leave and sources close to him claimed she had acted “incorrectly” by asking other employees to delete text messages.
“As we have repeatedly stated, we recently became aware of an individual who acted inappropriately, which we quickly reported to investigators,” a spokesperson said at the time.
“The most important thing to remember is that the mayor has not been charged with any crime.”
That changed dramatically on September 25 when Adams was indicted on federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting foreign campaign donations.
Adams is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery of federal programs and receiving campaign contributions from foreign nationals.
He is also accused of defrauding New York City taxpayers of $10 million through allegedly fraudulent campaign funds.
He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and claimed he had done nothing wrong after becoming the first mayor in the city’s history to face criminal charges.
Winnie Greco, 61, the city’s Asian affairs director, also left Monday amid accusations that she promised a job to a campaign volunteer in exchange for renovating her kitchen.
Adams poses with consultant Winnie Greco at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in August
Abbasova had been Adams’ point person with the Turkish community since his time as Brooklyn president and is accused of arranging illegal contributions to his campaign.
The indictment alleges that Abbasova spent years arranging illegal foreign donations to Adams’ campaign along with travel upgrades for the mayor, his family and associates.
But Abbasova’s forced departure came days after the Justice Department forced her to release evidence that the mayor’s lawyers say discredits her as a witness.
Prosecutors must disclose and turn over to the defense any “Brady evidence” they discover that is favorable to the defendant’s case.
Defense attorney Alex Spiro linked the release of Brady’s evidence on Friday to Abbasova’s firing on Monday.
“These prosecutors finally, after much delay and misdirection, admitted that they were withholding material from Brady about the key witness in the case that proves Mayor Adams is innocent,” Spiro said. nbcnewyork.com.
But the exodus continued to accelerate with the resignation of Winnie Greco, Adams’s longtime confidant.
She served as the mayor’s Asian affairs director and saw her home raided in February by FBI agents investigating allegations that she demanded bribes, including asking a campaign volunteer to renovate her kitchen in exchange for a job in the administration.
Greco was a constant figure at Adams’ side and accompanied him and his son on a trip to France in 2017. Türkiye, Sri Lanka and Porcelainaccording to court documents.
Later that year, she joined him on a trip to Beijing via Türkiye and Nepal with tickets worth more than $16,000.
According to the indictment, Adams’ relationship with Turkish officials led him to accept a series of luxury gifts, including stays at luxurious Istanbul hotels.
Adams allegedly pressured the FDNY to open a Turkish government-owned skyscraper in Manhattan in exchange for “luxury travel benefits,” even though the building failed safety inspections.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams alleged that Adams “took corrupt official actions in exchange for some of the benefits of luxury travel.”
He alleged there were “significant time pressures” to open the building in time for a visit by Türkiye’s president, at the behest of a Turkish official.