Chief of Staff to Former NYC Mayor Adams, 3 Others Charged Over Alleged Bribery Scheme

Federal charges allege Frank Carone accepted bribes to direct a $6.8 million shelter contract to a Queens hotel owner.

Yan Po Zhu (L) and Frank Carone (C) at Zhu’s Nassau County home. U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York

The chief of staff of former New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been charged with accepting $120,000 in bribes in exchange for directing a city homeless shelter contract to a Queens hotel owner, according to an indictment unsealed on Wednesday.

Frank Carone worked as Adams’s chief of staff during his first year in office and was a close adviser who helped fundraise for the mayor’s failed reelection bid last year.