By New York Post (Politics) | Created at 2024-11-19 21:21:52 | Updated at 2024-11-24 06:17:31
4 days ago
The feds have raided a Queens hotel contracted by the city to house homeless people — and owned by a donor to Mayor Eric Adams, The Post has learned.
Federal agents searched the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Fresh Meadows last Thursday on a warrant from the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, sources said.
It’s not clear what records investigators were seeking, or whether the raid — first reported by the non-profit newsroom The City — was part of the slew of federal inquiries surrounding Adams and his allies.
The hotel is owned by Weihong Hu, a Chinese hotel developer who allegedly packaged tens of thousands of donations for Adams’ mayoral campaigns, according to the outlet.
Hu, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, also donated $2,000 to the mayor’s 2021 campaign, as well as to his then-opponent Andrew Yang, campaign records show. Both donations were the maximum allowed in that election cycle. Calls to Hu’s attorney Tuesday were not returned.
Records show the hotel was contracted by the city last year to house homeless people, through a deal with the nonprofit organization Housing Works Inc., which did not return a call for comment.
Investigators in the EDNY have been probing Winnie Greco, a former Adams aide who served as a liaison to the Chinese community in his administration and helped fundraise for his first mayoral run, sources have told The Post.
Greco lived in the Wyndham Garden hotel for a time on taxpayers’ dime, The City previously reported.
Investigators are eyeing her ties to China and her role in city government, according to law enforcement sources.
Her homes were raided by the feds back in February.
Greco stepped down as the city’s director of Asian Affairs last month. She has not been charged.
The probe has flown mostly under the radar with the flurry of federal action from the EDNY’s counterpart in Manhattan, which brought a historic indictment against a sitting New York City mayor earlier this year.
The federal bribery and corruption case against Adams has been at the forefront of political gossip since the election with rumors swirling that incoming President-elect Donald Trump would pardon the embattled mayor should he be convicted or have his pick for Manhattan US Attorney help make the case go away.
Adams has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“Mayor Adams has been clear that this administration is dedicated to following and upholding the law and we will continue to cooperate with any law enforcement requests, including those unrelated to the mayor,” said spokesperson Kayla Mamelak in a statement Tuesday.
