Ex Adams aide pleads not guilty in migrant shelter bribery case amid separate NYPD raids

NEW YORK CITY - A former top aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been arraigned on bribery charges, while federal authorities simultaneously executed search warrants on the homes of several high-ranking current and former NYPD officials.

What we know:

Frank Carone, the former chief of staff to Adams, is currently free on bond following his arrest on federal bribery charges.

Prosecutors allege that Carone orchestrated a pay-to-play scheme involving a Long Island City hotel. According to the indictment, Carone accepted approximately $120,000 in bribes in exchange for steering a lucrative $6.8 million migrant shelter contract to the property. Authorities claim the illicit payments were laundered and passed through a law firm belonging to his brother.

All four defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges:

• Frank Carone: Former chief of staff to Mayor Adams.
• Anthony Carone: Frank’s brother, whose law firm allegedly facilitated the money transfer.
• Yang Po Zou: Owner of the Long Island City hotel.
• Crystal Chen: An employee at the hotel.

Defense's response

What they're saying:

Outside the federal courthouse in downtown Brooklyn, Carone and his defense attorney, Arthur Aidala, fiercely denied the allegations.

"This indictment is based on assumptions... assumption after assumption after assumption," Aidala told reporters. "There is not one fact that indicates Frank Carone did anything specific to influence anything in our government."

When asked directly if he was guilty of the charges, Carone briefly responded, "Of course not," expressing confidence in his legal team.

Notably, prosecutors have stated that former Mayor Eric Adams is not accused of any wrongdoing in connection to this specific contract and bribery scheme.

NYPD raids

Dig deeper:

In a separate and unrelated federal investigation, the FBI and NYPD internal affairs executed a series of coordinated search warrants at the homes of one current and two former top police officials.

Cameras captured authorities removing boxes of potential evidence from the residences. The officials targeted in the raids include:

• James McCarthy (chief of Manhattan South): Authorities searched his Upper East Side apartment. He has currently been placed on modified duty.
• Tariq Sheppard (former deputy commissioner): His home in Cambria Heights, Queens, was also raided.
• Jeffrey Maddrey (former chief of department): Federal agents searched his residence in Rosedale. Maddrey previously resigned from the force in 2024 following allegations that he demanded sex from a subordinate in exchange for overtime opportunities.

At this time, authorities have not publicly disclosed the exact nature of the investigation prompting the raids, and no arrests have been made in connection with the searches of these current and former NYPD members.