Former New York mayor adviser gave reporter cash in chip bag at campaign event | Eric Adams

A former long -standing advisor to the mayor of New York who resigned when he was under the control of the FBI gave a journalist a crust bag filled with liquidity on Wednesday after a campaign event.

A Winnie Greco lawyer, the former adviser, insisted that money was not a brothel attempt.

The local information site The City reported the hours of incident after one of its journalists said that Greeco had squeezed a bag of croustilles in his hands containing a red envelope with a $ 100 note and several $ 20 tickets.

The journalist, Katie Honan, had examined the conduct of Greeco in the past as an important fundraising for Adams in the American Chinese community.

Greek lawyer Steven Brill told the Associated Press that the situation was “breathtaking”.

“It was not a bag of money,” wrote Brill in an email. “In Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude. And that’s all that was done here. Winnie’s intention was born out of kindness. ”

When asked why Greeco wanted to make such a gesture in Honan, Brill said: “She knows the journalist and loves her.”

The city said Greco apologized later, saying that it had made “a mistake”.

“I’m really sorry. This is a cultural thing. I don’t know. I don’t understand. I’m really sorry. I’m feeling so bad at the moment,” said Greco, according to the city.

In response to the report, Eric Adams’ re -election campaign said that she had suspended Greco to continue the work of an unpaid volunteer and that Adams had no prior knowledge of Greeco shares.

The city reported that Greeco had sent a text to Honan to meet her in a Whole Foods store after attending the opening of the Adams campaign headquarters in Harlem.

When he was given the chip bag, Honan first thought that Greeco gave him a snack and said that she could not accept it, but Greeco insisted, according to the report.

Honan left and later discovered money, then called Greeco and told him that she could not accept it and asked to return it. Greeco said they could meet later, but then ceased to answer, according to the report.

Greeco later recalled the city and asked them not to make a story saying: “I try to be a good person,” reported the press press.

A spokesperson for the Town Hall refused to comment. An Adams campaign assistant Todd Shapiro said Greeco has no position in the campaign.

“We are shocked by these reports,” said Shapiro. “Mayor Adams had no prior knowledge of this issue. He has always demanded the highest ethical and legal standards, and his only objective remains on the service of New York inhabitants with integrity. ”

An SMS sent to a telephone number listed in public files for Greeco was not immediately answered.

Since resigning from her post as Director of Asian Affairs of Adams last October, Greco was sometimes seen during her campaign events. Greeco had been the long -standing affair of Adams with the American Chinese community of the city. It was also a prolific fundraising for Adams campaigns.

In February 2024, federal agents searched two properties belonging to Greeco. The authorities did not explain what it was, and Greeco was not accused of having committed a crime, but it was one of the other close assistants of Adams who resigned or were dismissed in the midst of the federal examination.

The city reported on the investigation and conduct of Greeco, in particular the allegations of a campaign volunteer according to which Greeco had promised to find him a city job if he helped renovate his house.

A distinct federal investigation into Adams led to an indictment in 2024 accusing the mayor of having accepted illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts of a Turkish official and others – and of returning the favors, among others, of helping Turkey open a diplomatic building without passing fire inspections.

A federal judge rejected the case in April after the Ministry of Justice ordered prosecutors to abandon the accusations, arguing that the case interfected with the mayor’s ability to help Donald Trump’s repression against illegal immigration.