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FBI raids homes of NYC mayor’s top deputies amid growing legal probes

Adams, facing questions for campaign fundraising irregularities, surrendered his phone to the FBI last year

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams (C) speaks to the media alongside other local and law enforcement officials outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, July 12, 2021. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (C) speaks to the media alongside other local and law enforcement officials outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, July 12, 2021. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

The FBI raided the homes of two high-ranking officials inside New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration on Wednesday, another episode in the legal saga surrounding Adams and his administration.

Per ABC News, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright — engaged to NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks — and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks had their homes raided as part of an ongoing investigation.

“Investigators have not indicated to us the mayor or his staff are targets of any investigation,” Lisa Zornberg, a lawyer for Adams, said in a statement to ABC News. “As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has repeatedly made clear that all members of the team need to follow the law.”

While no arrests have been made, the FBI reportedly seized evidence from the two, including electronic devices. It is unclear what investigation the raids were a part of, with a source telling ABC News that they were unrelated to an ongoing investigation into whether Adams took bribes from the Turkish government.

The action also comes just days after Linda Sun, a top aide to New York State governors Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, was arrested for working to advance the interests of the Chinese government.

Last November, the FBI seized the Mayor’s personal cell phone, stemming from an investigation into his 2021 mayoral run.

In February, other high-ranking Adams aide’s homes were raided, along with campaign offices located within a shopping mall in connection to a suspected “straw donation” scheme.

By Griffin Eckstein

Griffin Eckstein is a News Fellow at Salon. He is a student journalist at New York University, having previously written for the independent student paper Washington Square News, the New York Post, and Morning Brew. Follow him on Bluesky at gec.bsky.social.


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