(NewsNation) — An adviser has been suspended from New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ reelection campaign after handing a reporter a chip bag with an envelope of cash inside.
The handoff took place Wednesday night after a campaign event in the city’s Harlem neighborhood. Local news outlet The City said that Winnie Greco handed one of its reporters an open bag of chips with the top crumpled closed. After they parted ways, the reporter opened the bag to find an envelope with what looked to be at least $100 inside and immediately contacted Greco, stating they could not accept it.
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The City said it immediately contacted New York’s Department of Investigations and that its lawyers were later contacted by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn.
A spokesperson for Adams’ campaign responded in a statement and said the mayor had no prior knowledge of the incident.
“We are shocked by these reports,” the statement reads. “Winnie Greco holds no position in this campaign and has been suspended from all VOLUNTEER campaign-related activities.”
Greco and her lawyer have said the incident was a mistake — a cultural mix-up of sorts — and apologized for “confusion this may have caused,” according to The City.
“I make a mistake,” Greco told the reporter. “I’m so sorry. It’s a culture thing. I don’t know. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry.”
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Greco was Adams’ former director of Asian affairs at City Hall and had returned to work as a volunteer on his reelection campaign, according to the New York Times. Greco has previously been involved in controversy after the F.B.I. raided her home as part of a federal investigation into possible Chinese government interference in the 2021 mayor’s race.
Greco’s suspension marks the latest chapter of legal drama involving former advisers of Adams. Ingrid Lewis-Martin was charged by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office with bribery, conspiracy and money laundering in December, NewsNation affiliate WPIX reported.
