Federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint on Tuesday, Oct. 8, charging former New York City Hall official Mohamed Bahi with witness tampering and destruction of evidence in connection with “a federal investigation of unlawful contributions to a particular 2021 mayoral campaign.” Bahi, a senior Muslim liaison to Mayor Eric Adams, resigned on Monday, Oct. 7, according to reporting from the NY Daily News.

 

Though not named in the indictment, as reported, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is the subject of a federal investigation into the campaign finances for his 2021 mayoral campaign, and has pleaded not guilty to bribery charges announced on Sept. 26. Bahi was arrested on Tuesday, and will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger in Manhattan federal court.

 

In the context of the announcement, Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York said, “As alleged, Mohamed Bahi obstructed a federal criminal investigation by instructing witnesses to lie and then destroying evidence. The charges unsealed today should leave no doubt about the seriousness of any effort to interfere with a federal investigation, particularly when undertaken by a government employee.  Our commitment to uncovering the truth and following the facts wherever they may lead is unwavering.”

 

For his part, James E. Dennehy, FBI assistant director for the New York field office, said of the charges, “Mohamed Bahi, a former senior New York City Hall official, allegedly interfered with an active investigation by ordering third parties to lie to federal agents and deleting potentially incriminating correspondence from his personal electronic devices. These alleged actions were a deceitful attempt to conceal unlawful activity and create unnecessary obstacles for those working to uncover the truth. The FBI will continue to apprehend all individuals, regardless of their position, for obstruction of federal investigations.”

 

According to the indictment, from around 2022 through October 2024, Bahi worked in the New York City mayoral administration of a certain public official (“Official-1”). Specifically, he served served as a senior liaison in the community affairs unit of that mayoral administration. The referenced period coincides with the duration to date of the Adams administration.

 

Prosecutors outlined that in or about December 2020, Bahi was involved in organizing a fundraiser for Official-1’s campaign to be New York City mayor in connection with an election to be held in 2021 (the “2021 Official-1 Campaign”). Adams announced his mayoral candidacy in mid-November 2020. The fundraiser was held at the Brooklyn offices of a construction company (the “construction company”).

 

Prosecutors allege that at this event, which was attended by Bahi and Official-1, among others, four employees of the construction company (the “donors”) made contributions in their own names to the 2021 Official-1 Campaign, but those contributions were in fact funded by the construction company’s chief executive officer (the “businessman”).

 

They said that such contributions, that is, contributions made in the name of one donor but in fact funded by a different person, are commonly referred to as straw contributions. The knowing solicitation and acceptance of straw contributions can violate federal law when, for example, a political campaign makes false statements about straw contributions to a public entity to fraudulently obtain public matching funds based on the contributions, or when the straw contributions are used to smuggle foreign money into a campaign.

 

Federal prosecutors said that since in or about 2021, the FBI and DOI have been investigating, among other things, the receipt of straw contributions by the 2021 Official-1 Campaign (the “federal investigation”). They allege that in or about 2024, Bahi took steps to obstruct the federal investigation by tampering with multiple witnesses and destroying evidence.

 

In particular, they said on or about June 13, 2024, in connection with the federal investigation, FBI agents executed a court-authorized search warrant at the businessman’s home, and also served the businessman and the donors with grand jury subpoenas. After being notified by the businessman that the FBI had executed a search warrant at the businessman’s home that morning, they allege that Bahi met privately with the businessman and told him that he had just spoken with Official-1 and advised the businessman to lie to federal investigators. They further allege that Bahi then met with the businessman and the donors and instructed them to lie to the FBI.

 

Federal prosecutors also allege that on or about June 14, 2024, after having met with Official-1, Bahi told the businessman that Official-1 believed that the businessman would not cooperate with law enforcement.

 

They said on or about July 24, 2024, in connection with the federal investigation, FBI agents executed a court-authorized search warrant at Bahi’s home and seized Bahi’s cellphone. They allege that in an effort to obstruct the federal investigation, upon the FBI’s arrival at Bahi’s home, he deleted from his cellphone the encrypted messaging application Signal, which he had previously used to communicate with Official‑1.

 

Jocelyn E. Strauber, commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), said of the charges, “As charged, this former City Hall official advised witnesses to lie and destroyed evidence in connection with the investigation of straw contributions to the 2021 Mayoral campaign. These are serious offenses, and DOI thanks our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI for their commitment to maintaining integrity in investigations.”

 

The news follows the resignation on Monday, Oct. 7, of more Adams administration officials, including Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Philip Banks, and Winnie Greco, a mayoral aide for the Chinese community in New York City, who had been under invesigation by federal agents and whose Pelham Bay home in The Bronx was raided in February 2024. The homes of Banks and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who resigned on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and others were also later raided by authorities. They are the latest Adams administration officials on a long list to announce they are stepping down in recent weeks amid City Hall chaos.

 

Meanwhile, Rana Abbasova, director of protocol in Adams’ International Affairs Office, was fired Monday, accordng to the NY Daily News, and Ahsan Chughtai, a senior mayoral adviser for South Asian and Muslim affairs, was fired on Sept. 30.

 

Also on Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced that Brian Cordasco pled guilty to conspiring to solicit and receive bribes in his role as a chief of the FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Prevention. As reported, federal prosecutors announced on Sept. 26 that as part of the bribery allegations against the mayor, Adams allegedly sought and accepted valuable benefits in exchange for favors including pressuring the New York City Fire Department to facilitate the opening of a foreign government’s Manhattan skyscraper that had not passed a fire inspection.

 

According to the indictment, plea agreement, and statements made in court, from 2021 to 2023, Cordasco, 49, of Staten Island, repeatedly abused his position as a chief of the BFP by participating in a scheme to solicit and receive $190,000 in total bribe payments from a former FDNY firefighter named Henry Santiago, Jr. In exchange for those bribe payments, Cordasco used his authority within the BFP to improperly “expedite” BFP inspections and plan reviews for Santiago’s customers.

 

Federal prosecutors said Cordasco personally profited $57,000 as part of the scheme. To carry out the conspiracy, they said he lied to his BFP subordinates to justify otherwise improper expediting requests, and also lied to law enforcement when interviewed about his involvement in the scheme.

 

Cordasco, 49, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to solicit and receive a bribe, which carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, he agreed to forfeit $57,000. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2025.

 

Adams, Greco, Wright, Banks, Bahi, Abbasova and Chughtai are deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

Federal prosecutors are appealing to anyone who believes they have information related to bribery, fraud, or any other illegal conduct by Bahi or any other New York City employees to contact DOI at tipline@doi.nyc.gov or (212) 825-2828. They further encourage anyone involved in such conduct to consider self-disclosing through the SDNY Whistleblower Pilot Program at USANYS.WBP@usdoj.gov.