Former Top Adams Aide Frank Carone Arrested in Federal Bribery Case

Frank Carone, former chief of staff to ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, was arrested Wednesday in a federal bribery case. Prosecutors allege he exploited his position to receive more than $100,000 in payoffs for steering a migrant shelter contract to a hotel that city social service officials had deemed unsuitable.

"Frank Carone was entrusted to run our city government and instead put his own wealth and status above duty."
— Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Winik

Charges and Pleas

Carone, his brother Anthony Carone, hotel owner Yan Po Zhu, and hotel employee Crystal Chen each pleaded not guilty to various charges. In addition to bribery, Frank Carone faces an obstruction of justice charge for allegedly deleting a text message after learning he was under investigation.

The Scheme

Starting in 2022, New York City sought to expand shelter capacity amid a surge of migrants. Zhu's hotel ultimately received $6.8 million to house migrants—despite the city's Social Services Department repeatedly rejecting the facility, citing its size and community opposition.

According to the indictment, Frank Carone accepted bribes from Zhu and Chen to intercede on the hotel's behalf. The money was allegedly funneled through Anthony Carone's law firm.

Key communications cited in the indictment:

• In a September 2022 text, Zhu asked Carone for help obtaining a one-year contract. Carone replied asking for the address.
• In December 2023, Zhu texted Carone: "I asked my partners to pay you for a year."

Defense Response

Frank Carone's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, pushed back forcefully outside court:

"There is not one fact that indicates Frank Carone did anything specific to influence anything in our government."

Aidala described the case as based on "assumption after assumption after assumption."

Meanwhile, Adams spokesperson Todd Shapiro said in a statement that Carone "dedicated decades of his life to public service, the legal profession and helping countless individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations throughout New York."

Parallel Investigation

In a separate development Wednesday, the FBI and NYPD executed search warrants at the homes of:

• NYPD Chief of Manhattan South James McCarthy
• Former Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard
• Former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey

Those searches are part of a different bribery investigation. There was no public indication of arrests related to those searches.