Who is Winnie Greco, the Adams assistant whose homes the FBI searched?

On Thursday, FBI agents searched two Bronx homes owned by Winnie Greco, a close aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

The searches were part of an investigation conducted with prosecutors from the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn. Federal agents also executed a search warrant at the New World Mall in Flushing, Queens as part of the investigation.

Ms. Greco, a longtime ally of Mr. Adams and director of Asian affairs at City Hall, suffered a medical episode during the search and was taken to the hospital by ambulance, a city official said. She will be placed on unpaid leave during the investigation.

It was not clear what the investigation focused on or whether it was related to Mr. Adams, who has been the subject of a separate investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan over whether his campaign conspired with the Turkish government to make illegal foreign donations to accept. .

Mr. Adams has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Here’s what you need to know about Ms. Greco and the investigation:

Who is Winnie Greco?

Ms. Greco is part of the mayor’s inner circle and was on stage with Mr. Adams at his inauguration in Times Square in January 2022.

She has known Mr. Adams for at least a decade and was his “honorary ambassador” to the Chinese community when he was Brooklyn Borough President. In 2014, a nonprofit founded by Ms. Greco paid nearly $7,000 to send Mr. Adams on an 11-day trip to China, according to The New York Post. She traveled with him to China in 2017 photographed meeting with local officials.

She was a prominent fundraiser for Mr. Adams during the 2021 mayoral race, as he tried to bring together a diverse coalition that included Asian American voters.

Ms. Greco joined Mr. Adams at City Hall as an adviser during his first month in office at a salary of about $100,000. She often met with the mayor and his closest adviser, Ingrid P. Lewis-Martin, who called Ms. Greco “my sister.”

Ms. Greco was featured in one city ​​movie in 2022, drawing attention to concerns in the Chinese community about hate crimes and language barriers for newly arrived immigrants.

In 2012, Ms. Greco founded the Sino-America New York Brooklyn Archway Association erect an arch in the Sunset Park district, which was offered to the city by Beijing and then withdrawn.

Ms. Greco was the leader of a group called the New York Sino Agricultural Sciences Organization involved in a company that wanted to export products to China.

Why were her homes searched by the FBI?

It was not clear what federal agents were seeking with the searches, although they were conducted by agents working with the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn. That office has historically focused on cases involving Chinese government activities in the United States.

The New York City Department of Investigation opened an investigation into Ms. Greco last year after the mayor’s office referred a complaint to the department. Mr. Adams has since distanced himself from her, telling reporters that he says hello when he sees her but does not discuss the investigation.

That investigation came after the This is reported by news channel The City that a volunteer for Mr. Adams’ 2021 campaign had accused Ms. Greco of asking him to work for free on her home renovation to secure a job within the Adams administration.

The city has also reported on Ms. Greco’s involvement in fundraising events at the New World Mall and possible straw donations to Mr. Adams associated with the mall.

Is the mayor involved?

Mr. Adams said in a series of television interviews on Friday that he had “complete confidence” in Ms. Greco and that he encouraged officials in his administration to follow the law.

Mr. Adams, a Democrat in his third year as president, said he had not been contacted by federal investigators about Ms. Greco.

Ethical questions have dogged Mr. Adams throughout his political career, and several people from his administration and campaign fundraising have been investigated. Last month, a retired police inspector who was once friends with Mr. Adams pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy charge, saying he directed straw donors to contribute to the mayor’s 2021 campaign.

Are the searches related to the Turkey investigation?

The investigation into Ms. Greco’s assets appeared to be separate from a federal criminal investigation into whether Mr. Adams’s 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign donations.

Mr Adams set up a legal defense fund to help pay costs associated with the Turkey investigation.

Why was a mall in Queens searched?

The New World Mall is a popular shopping center in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, in the heart of New York City’s Chinese community.

It was unclear why federal investigators were searching the mall.

Mr. Adams has often visited the mall for cultural events and campaign fundraisers. He was there in February for a New Year’s gala.

William K. Rashbaum, Dana Rubinstein, Jeffery C Mays And Susan C. Beachy reporting contributed.