The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided several city officials within the orbit of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, raising further public scrutiny of the embattled mayor and his administration.
On Wednesday, Sept. 4, the FBI searched the home of Sheena Wright, Adams’ First Deputy Mayor, and Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, who is in a relationship with Wright and shares the home with her; the home of his brother, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III, was also searched, and the home of Edward Cuban, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
In a statement from a representative of the NYPD, the department said it was “aware of an investigation” involving some of its service members and that it was “fully cooperating” with the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The raids took place around 5 AM and agents seized phones and other devices.
Others in the mayor’s orbit who are under investigation include one of his aides, Timothy Pearson, whose phone records were subpoenaed, and a former Metropolitan Transportation Authority lobbyist, Terence Banks.
According to Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg, no criminal activity has yet been connected to Adams or his staff. She said investigators did not indicate the mayor or his staff were targets of an investigation. Zornberg noted Adams’ former law enforcement career and that the mayor “has repeatedly made clear” to his team that they must follow the law.
There are separate investigations into alleged efforts by the Turkish government to influence Adams and into his 2021 election campaign fundraising efforts. The mayor will be up for re-election next year and the concerns surrounding his administration will mean an uphill battle for Adams to keep his position.
Adams inherited a city wrecked by pandemic lockdowns and in economic decline. Although those policies were eventually lifted, the immigration situation escalated under the Biden administration and soon the struggling city was flooded with new arrivals without work permits, many of whom were in the country illegally. Adams has had to scramble throughout his administration to find places for these people to go, and many critics find it hard to be sympathetic when he initially entered office calling New York a “sanctuary city.”
