Eric Adams has fired his intermediary with the Turkish government amid claims that she has agreed to tell prosecutors about the bribes she allegedly arranged for him. The fallout from the FBI indictment against the New York Mayor claimed more victims on Monday, as Rana Abbasova was fired and Winnie Greco, the director of Asian affairs, resigned from City Hall.
Abbasova, who had earlier served as the Mayor's director of protocol for international affairs, has been on leave since the FBI searched her home in November 2023. Her exit signifies a troubling turn of events for her longtime boss as he gets ready to appear in court on November 1.
Adams Tries to Silence His Aides
The indictment alleges that Abbasova was involved in organizing "many of the illegal campaign contributions and improper personal travel benefits" that the Mayor allegedly accepted in exchange for providing planning advantages to Turkish developers.
Her role in liaising with Turkey dates back to before Adams was elected city mayor in 2022, extending to his tenure as borough president of Brooklyn.
According to the indictment, during her FBI interview following the raid on her home, Abbasova "excused herself to a bathroom and, while there, deleted the encrypted messaging applications she had used to communicate with Adams, the promoter, the Turkish Official, the Airline Manager, and others."
The mayor put her on leave, with sources close to him saying that she had acted "improperly" by requesting other staff members to delete text messages.
"As we have repeatedly said, we recently learned of an individual who acted improperly, which we promptly reported to investigators," a spokesman said at the time.
"The most important thing to remember is that the mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing."
The situation escalated significantly on September 25 when Adams was indicted on federal charges, including bribery, fraud, and soliciting donations from foreign sources for his campaign.
He is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and accepting campaign contributions from foreign nationals. He is also accused of deceiving New York City taxpayers out of $10 million through allegedly fraudulent campaign financing.
During his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty and maintained that he has not committed any wrongdoing, making him the first sitting mayor in the city's history to face criminal charges.
Serious Allegations
The indictment alleges that Abbasova spent several years coordinating illegal foreign "straw" donations to the Adams campaign, as well as securing travel upgrades for the Mayor, his family, and associates.
However, her forced departure came shortly after the Department of Justice was compelled to release evidence that the Mayor's legal team argues undermines her credibility as a witness.
Prosecutors are obligated to reveal any "Brady evidence" that may benefit the defendant's case to the defense. Defense attorney Alex Spiro connected the release of this Brady evidence on Friday to Abbasova's firing on Monday.
"These prosecutors, finally, after much delay and misdirection, have admitted they were hiding Brady material about the key witness in the case that proves Mayor Adams is innocent," Spiro told nbcnewyork.com.
