FBI searches home of New York mayor's chief campaign fundraiser

[November 03, 2023]  By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -FBI agents searched the home of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' chief election campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, on Thursday, and she was questioned by public corruption investigators, city officials and local media reported.

The New York Times, citing a search warrant, reported that the early morning raid was part of a federal investigation into whether Adam's 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with a Brooklyn construction company and the Turkish government to funnel foreign money into the campaign through a straw donor scheme.

Reuters has not seen the search warrant, and the FBI did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Turkish Embassy in Washington said he was just learning of the allegations, and would make inquiries before he could comment.

Adams, a Democrat, had traveled to Washington on Thursday for meetings with U.S. government officials about the city's shelter crisis for asylum seekers and other recently arrived migrants, but abruptly canceled those meetings to return to New York.

"The mayor heard of an issue related to the campaign, and takes these issues seriously, so wanted to get back to New York as quickly as possible," Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for the mayor, wrote in an email.
 

Suggs has worked for Adams since 2017, starting as an intern in his office when he was the Brooklyn borough president, according to her profile on the LinkedIn social media network.

She managed the raising of $18.4 million for Adams' successful mayor election campaign in 2021, and has overseen the amassing of more than $2.7 million in contributions for his 2025 reelection campaign, according to campaign finance disclosures.

Suggs could not be reached for comment. Spokespeople for the FBI did not respond to requests for comment.

A man enters a house that was raided by FBI agents in connection to the New York City Mayor Eric Adams' chief election campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., November 2, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Asked about the search, a spokesperson for Adams' election campaign shared a statement from campaign counsel Vito Pitta: "Mayor Adams has not been contacted as part of this inquiry. He has always held the campaign to the highest standards."

An FBI spokesperson confirmed to the New York Times that it was carrying out a "law enforcement action" at Suggs' home in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood, the paper reported. The Times, citing an unnamed person with knowledge of the raid, said Suggs was questioned by agents from one of the FBI's public corruption squads.

Law enforcement officials have investigated several other associates of Adams in recent months. In July, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the indictment of six people he said had used a straw donor scheme to illegally generate public matching funds for Adams' 2021 election campaign. All six men have pleaded not guilty.

Adams, who was not accused of any wrongdoing in the indictments, has said he and his campaign team had no knowledge of or involvement in the alleged scheme. Adams' 2025 election campaign has paid Suggs's consulting firm, Suggs Solutions, about $98,000 so far, public records show.

While raising donations for Adams' election campaign, Suggs had also been paid to lobby his administration on behalf of a Manhattan property owner seeking an extension on his lease of a shopping complex in a city-owned building, the New York Daily News reported in April.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

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