FBI raids home of Eric Adams’ fundraising chief
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents on Thursday searched the Brooklyn home of Mayor Eric Adams’ chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, a campaign consultant deeply involved in efforts to advance the mayor’s agenda, according to two people with knowledge of the matter .
The raid has caused Mr. Apparently prompted Adams to abruptly cancel several meetings planned for Thursday morning in Washington, D.C., to talk to White House officials and members of Congress about the influx of migrants in New York and other major cities. Instead, he hurriedly returned to New York “to take care of some business,” a spokesman for the mayor said.
Ms. Suggs, who could not immediately be reached for comment, is a key part of Mr. Adams’ fundraising machine, which has already raised more than $2.5 million for his 2025 re-election campaign.
A third person with knowledge of the raid said agents from one of the public corruption teams at the FBI’s New York office questioned Ms. Suggs during the search of her home.
An FBI spokesman confirmed that “we are conducting law enforcement operations at that location,” referring to Ms. Suggs’ home in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office in Manhattan, declined to comment.
Charles Kretchmer Lutvak, a spokesman for Mr. Adams, denied any knowledge of the raid.
“I am not aware of that,” Mr Lutvak said.
He added that Ms. Suggs was not a City Hall employee and referred calls to the mayor’s campaign team. Evan Thies, Mr. Adams’ campaign spokesman, did not immediately respond to multiple phone calls and text messages seeking comment.
Over the past two years, Mr. Adams paid Ms. Suggs nearly $100,000 for fundraising and campaign consulting services through her company, Suggs Solutions, according to city records.
His first mayoral campaign earned her more than $50,000.
Ms. Suggs has also registered as a lobbyist. State records show that a real estate conglomerate hired Ms. Suggs through an intermediary in 2022 to lobby the New York mayor’s office and City Council on her behalf.
Ms. Suggs worked as an assistant to Mr. Adams when he was Brooklyn borough president, and Ingrid Lewis-Martin — currently the mayor’s top adviser — was his deputy.
Ms. Suggs is also deeply entrenched in outside efforts to advance the mayor’s agenda. A key ally’s political action committee, Striving for a Better New York, which pledged to support state candidates who join Mr. Adams on policy, paid Ms. Suggs about $100,000.
Mr. Adams’s decision to cancel high-level meetings with senior White House officials on an issue he has warned will erode New York’s budget and destroy the city signals unusual urgency.
The mayor was scheduled to meet with congressional representatives, along with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
Mr. Adams posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, found himself boarding a plane on Thursday morning. He said he was heading to Washington to meet with White House officials and members of the congressional delegation about the migrant crisis, which he described as a “real problem.”
Mr. Adams promised to keep the public informed throughout the day, but after canceling the meetings, City Hall officials would not explain why.
“The mayor is returning to New York City to discuss a matter,” Mr. Lutvak, the mayor’s spokesman, said in an email when asked why Mr. Adams suddenly returned to the city. “These meetings will be rescheduled as soon as possible.”
When asked whether the matter was personal or related to City Hall, officials declined to comment.
“He is coming back to deal with a case,” Mr Lutvak said.