Federal prosecutors charged Anthony Herbert, an aide to former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, with bribery on Tuesday, Politico reported.
Herbert was arrested Tuesday morning and entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment. He received a $50,000 recognizance bond and is due back in court on Jan. 30, according to ABC News.
Herbert, a friend of Adams, worked in the mayor's Community Affairs Unit where he headed operations in Brooklyn before becoming a citywide liaison to public housing developments, Politico reported.
He has been accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks in exchange for pressing city officials to hire companies for municipal work.
Herbert is also accused of promoting a particular funeral home that handles burials for low-income residents to city decision-makers.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement, "New Yorkers deserve honest and competent public officials. As alleged, at a time when Anthony Herbert was serving as City Hall's liaison to the city's public housing residents, he engaged in blatant pay-to-play schemes to enrich himself."
In addition, Herbert is accused of creating a fake baked goods firm and then using the fictitious company to fraudulently obtain a loan through the COVID-19-era Paycheck Protection Program meant to help struggling businesses.
Herbert was fired from his City Hall post last year over public comments he made about the killing of conservative leader Charlie Kirk.
The charges against Herbert follow the conviction of another former Adams aide, Mohamed Bahi, in an illegal donations scheme, according to ABC News. He was sentenced to three years' probation.
Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Adams' chief adviser, was also indicted on bribery charges, and that case is ongoing.
Adams was indicted in 2024 on federal corruption charges, to which he pleaded not guilty. His case was dismissed in April, and he later dropped his reelection bid.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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