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2023-11-03 Government Corruption
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Adams' chief fundraiser raided by FBI over alleged kickback scheme involving Turkish government
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[NY Post] The home of a top fundraiser for New York City Mayor Eric Adams was raided by the feds early Thursday morning as part of an investigation over an alleged kickback scheme involving the Turkish government and a Brooklyn construction company.
Federal agents burst into the Brooklyn home of Brianna Suggs, a campaign consultant and lobbyist — just as Adams abruptly bailed on a slate of White House immigration meetings to fly back to the Big Apple almost as soon as he had landed in Washington DC, The Post confirmed.
The raid was connected to a broader public corruption probe by the feds looking into whether money was illegally funneled to Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign via a Williamsburg-based construction company — and was purposely conducted while the mayor was out of town, law enforcement sources said.
Investigators specifically sought evidence of whether Adams’ campaign conspired with the Turkish government and the construction company to move foreign cash into his campaign accounts by using straw donors, according to The New York Times.
A straw donor is a person or company who illegally makes a donation with someone else’s money — but using their own name.
The feds’ warrant — which was obtained by the Times — said agents were looking for evidence of the theft of federal funds, wire fraud, conspiracy to steal federal funds and wire fraud conspiracy.
Investigators were also looking for proof that the campaign kicked back benefits to principals and employees of KSK Construction Group — as well as Turkish officials.
Neither Suggs — whose firm has earned more than $150,000 from the mayor’s campaign team since 2021 — nor Adams have been arrested or charged with a crime.
Suggs, 25, is also extraordinarily close with Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the so-called Lioness of City Hall who acts as Adams’ chief advisor and gatekeeper.
Suggs’ company — Suggs Solutions LLC — is registered to a family-owned brownstone at 929 Lincoln Place in Crown Heights, according to property records.
"I heard screaming maybe two or three hours ago," one neighbor told The Post, describing the moment of the raid. "I heard helicopters (also) ... the house is boarded up."
Another eyewitness told The Post that he saw cars on the block with civilian plates — that nonetheless carried FBI agents who were going in and out of the house.
"I saw some of them carrying cardboard boxes which they loaded into a van," Devon Stilwell, a 22-year-old who was hanging out up the block with some film students from NYU, told The Post on Thursday afternoon.
"It was obvious something big was going on, and now I hear the house belongs to someone connected to the mayor ... Does any of that surprise you?"
The search warrant said authorities were looking for Suggs’ financial records — and those of any entity associated with or controlled by her, the Times said.
Investigators also wanted documents about contributions to Adams’ 2021 campaign, records of travel to Turkey by any of the campaign’s employees or associates and documents that could shed light on the campaign’s interactions with the Turkish government, the paper said.
The warrant also sought any electronic device she used, including cell phones, tablets and laptops.
City records show Suggs — who worked as an aide to Adams back when he was Brooklyn’s borough president — is on a monthly retainer for Hizzoner’s political work, and has also received more than $16,500 in personal payments from Adams’ accounts, according to campaign finance filings.
Suggs was also paid more than $100,000 since January 2022 by Al Cockfield’s PAC, "Striving for a Better New York," according to state campaign finance records.
Cockfield’s daughter, Amaris Cockfield, also works as a spokesperson for the City Hall press office, where she earns $110,000 per year.
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Posted by Frank G 2023-11-03 00:00||
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