FBI searches homes owned by Adams’ Asian Affairs adviser

FBI agents on Thursday searched two homes owned by a close aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

The searches of the property of the assistant, Winnie Greco, took place as part of an investigation conducted with prosecutors from the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn, the people said. Agents executed at least one other search warrant Thursday morning at a third location, but it was unclear where, the people said.

It was also unclear what the focus of the investigation was and whether it was related to Mr. Adams, who has been the subject of a separate criminal investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan.

An FBI spokesman said Thursday that the agency was “conducting law enforcement activities in the vicinity” of Ms. Greco’s home on Gillespie Avenue in the Pelham Bay neighborhood of the Bronx, but declined to elaborate.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn said he had no comment.

Ms. Greco was a prominent fundraiser for Mr. Adams during his mayoral campaign and was named director of Asian affairs after he took office. It was not immediately clear Thursday whether she had an attorney. She could not be reached for comment.

Fabien Levy, a spokesman for Mr. Adams, said Ms. Greco was on leave from her job at City Hall on Thursday. He said Mr Adams had not been accused of any wrongdoing.

“Our administration will always follow the law, and we always expect all of our employees to adhere to the strictest ethical guidelines,” Mr. Levy said in a statement. “As we have said repeatedly, we do not comment on matters currently under review, but will cooperate fully with any ongoing investigations.”

The searches of her property, first reported by News 12 in the Bronx, came months after the homes of other associates of Mr. Adams were raided by federal officials as part of a broad public corruption investigation. That investigation focused on whether Mr. Adams in 2021 conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign donations.

On November 2, federal agents conducted coordinated searches of the homes of Brianna Suggs, the mayor’s top fundraiser; Rana Abbasova, assistant in Mr. Adams’ International Affairs Office; and Cenk Öcal, a former Turkish Airlines executive who served on the mayor’s transition team.

Vito Pitta, a lawyer for Mr. Adams’ campaign, said in a statement: “The campaign has always followed the law and always will. It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation at this time.”

Nicole Hong reporting contributed.