What you should know
Authorities conducted a full-scale investigation at the Brooklyn residence of Mayor Eric Adams’ top fundraiser in what appears to be connected to a campaign fundraising case. This was the reason why the mayor canceled his meetings at the White House on the immigration crisis, according to his spokeswoman. The investigation was underway Thursday shortly before noon at a home on Lincoln Place, near Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights. According to sources familiar with the matter, the house is linked to Brianna Suggs, Mayor Adams’ top fundraiser. It is currently unknown if the mayor’s campaign is connected to the investigation.
NEW YORK — Authorities have launched a full-scale investigation into the Brooklyn residence of Mayor Eric Adams’ top fundraiser in what appears to be connected to a campaign fundraising case. This was the reason why the mayor canceled his meetings at the White House on the immigration crisis, according to his spokeswoman.
The investigation was underway Thursday shortly before noon at a home on Lincoln Place, near Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights. According to sources familiar with the matter, the house is linked to Brianna Suggs, Mayor Adams’ top fundraiser.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed that agents were conducting law enforcement activities at the home, but did not share further details about the matter.
Telemundo 47 and our sister network NBC New York were at the scene where numerous people were seen entering and leaving the residence in Crown Heights. The officers, some dressed in suits, others in tactical gear, carried boxes of evidence from the house to a minivan.
It was not immediately clear whether Suggs was the target of an investigation, although sources familiar with the matter said the search was related in part to questions about campaign fundraising. Calls and text messages to the number listed on Suggs’ website were not returned.
This comes after the news that Adams abruptly canceled meetings in Washington, D.C., earlier in the day, where he planned to meet with a group of mayors from America’s largest cities and the White House to discuss the current immigration crisis.
Adams arrived in Washington and soon after returned on a plane to New York City.
Hours later it was confirmed that the reason why the mayor canceled his meetings in the United States capital was due to the registry.
“The mayor learned of a campaign-related issue and is taking it seriously, so he wanted to return to New York as quickly as possible,” a spokesman for the mayor said, adding that he, “plans to return to DC and reschedule these meetings as soon as I can.”
The mayor also said Thursday night that no investigators had contacted him about the case.
“Listen, everyone knows me, I follow the rules. We will follow the investigation and we always will. That’s what we do,” Adams told supporters at an event.
It is currently unknown if the mayor’s campaign is connected to the investigation.
Although law enforcement officials did not detail what the FBI search was related to, generally this type of activity observed at the home would mean that a court-authorized search warrant was being executed.
NBC New York also learned that investigators visited a Williamsburg building Thursday seeking information and spoke with a construction company. Campaign finance records showed that at least 11 Adams donors worked at the business. A woman who answered the phone confirmed that police had visited the scene, but she did not comment beyond that.
There was still no indication that Adams himself was directly involved in any investigation. In a statement, an attorney for Adams, Vito Pitta, said the mayor “will of course comply with any investigation, as appropriate,” adding that the campaign “has always been held to the highest standards.”
No arrests have been made in connection with the search or the federal investigation, which appeared to be in its early stages. It was unclear whether the investigation had any connection to an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
A spokesman for the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office, Nicholas Biase, declined to comment.
The raid comes less than four months after six people were charged with participating in a straw donor conspiracy scheme to divert tens of thousands of dollars to the Adams campaign. Those charges were filed in state court and did not directly implicate the mayor.
A straw donor scheme is essentially a way to circumvent campaign contribution limits by falsely using the names of friends and family as donors.
That case resulted in two guilty pleas from construction company owners who admitted participating in a conspiracy that generated false donations to Adams’ 2021 campaign. Adams’ team has denied any knowledge of the alleged straw donor scheme and said it was not the focus of the investigation. It was unclear if Thursday’s search had anything to do with the other investigation.
The city’s former Buildings Commissioner during the Adams administration, Eric Ulrich, was also accused in September of using his position to dole out favors, including access to the mayor, in exchange for cash and other bribes. Ulrich and the six co-defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Yolanda Vásquez with the interview.
Who is Brianna Suggs?
Suggs did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC New York. She has been a campaign consultant for Adams, who raised money for his election effort and also lobbied his administration on behalf of corporate clients.
Suggs has worked closely with Adams since at least 2017, when she joined his staff in the Brooklyn borough president’s office. He later joined her Mayoral campaign, helping raise more than $18.4 million for her primary and general elections, according to his LinkedIn profile.
She has continued to solicit donations for her reelection bid, which has already raised more than $2 million less than halfway through her term. Records show Suggs simultaneously started her own lobbying firm in 2022. Her clients include real estate interests with business before the city, including a Chinatown shopping center that was seeking a lease renewal.
Her dual efforts as a fundraiser and lobbyist have drawn scrutiny from good-government groups, the New York Daily News reported, although she has denied any wrongdoing.
Campaign documents showed numerous donations to Adams from members of the Suggs family who live in the home that was searched. Suggs was said to have shared the house with her father and her grandmother, and neighbors said she grew up on the block.
2023-11-02 17:40:32
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