By Steve Neavling
The FBI executed raids this week on New York City’s police commissioner and at least four top deputies to Mayor Eric Adams, seizing their phones and intensifying the wave of scrutiny surrounding the mayor’s administration, the Associated Press reports.
FBI agents seized the devices on Wednesday during visits to the homes of First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks, his brother Schools Chancellor David Banks, and mayoral adviser Timothy Pearson, according to sources familiar with the situation. These officials, all key figures in the Adams administration, are now under federal scrutiny, although details of the investigation remain confidential.
In November, news broke that the FBI and Justice Department were investigating whether the mayor’s campaign received illegal donations from the Turkish government.
Adams, a retired police captain, became mayor in 2022. He has denied criminal wrongdoing, and federal authorities have not charged him or any of his aides with crimes.
“I have been clear that my message throughout my public life is to follow the law,” Adams said Thursday evening on Fox 5 New York TV.
Last fall and winter, the FBI conducted raids on the home of a key fundraiser for Adams’ campaign, the residence of an official in the mayor’s international affairs office, and properties linked to Adams’ director of Asian affairs.
Federal agents also seized the mayor’s phones and iPad as he was departing a November event in Manhattan. Later, subpoenas were issued to the mayor, his campaign team, and City Hall by federal prosecutors earlier this summer.
