Adams' top fundraiser raided by FBI over alleged Turkish government kickback scheme

New light is being shed on the Thursday FBI raid of one of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ fundraisers, Brianna Suggs, according to a search warrant obtained by the New York Times.

FBI agents searched the Brooklyn brownstone of Brianna Suggs, a consultant whose firm has was paid more than $150,000 from Adams’ campaign since 2021. The agents burst into Suggs’ residence after Adams left New York for Washington to meet with the White House about the blossoming migrant crisis in the city.

Sources have told local media the FBI specifically timed the raid for a time when Adams was out of town, and the NYC mayor abandoned his appointment with the White House to immediately turn back to New York once he landed in Washington.

Reports are now surfacing that the raid was linked to a wide public corruption probe by the FBI, which is investigating whether money was unlawfully directed to Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign through a Brooklyn based construction company.

Federal agents are looking for clues as to whether Adams’ campaign conspired with the Turkish government and the Brooklyn company to funnel in foreign money to his campaign through straw donors.

A straw donor is a person or company who makes an unlawful donation with someone else’s money by using their own name. Both straw donations and foreign contributions are illegal because they could unfairly impact the balance of U.S. elections.

The FBI warrant, which was obtained by The New York Times, said federal agents were searching for evidence of the theft of federal funds, wire fraud, and conspiracy to steal federal funds and wire fraud.

Agents sought evidence the campaign kicked back benefits to Turkish government officials, and principals and agents working for the KSK Construction Group.

According to campaign filings, Suggs has personally been issued more than $16,500 in payments from the mayor’s accounts and has remained on a monthly retainer with the mayor.

The firm, Suggs Solutions LLC, is registered in the State of New York and is registered to a family-owned brownstone in Brooklyn at 929 Lincoln Place in Crown Heights, according to city property records.

Adams said he has not been contacted by any law enforcement agencies, but flew back to New York to ‘be on the ground” and “find out exactly what was taking place.”

“I hold my campaign to the highest ethical standards,” the NYC mayor said from Gracie Mansion Thursday night. “Any inquiry that is done, we’re going to fully participate and make sure that it’s done correctly.”

Neither Adams nor Suggs  have been charged with a crime.