Federal agents descended on the home of a top cash-handler for high-rolling New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday—further rattling an administration already wracked by a straw donor scandal.
The New York Times reported that the FBI sweep of consultant Brianna Suggs’ residence coincided with Adams deciding to cancel a slate of scheduled meetings in Washington, D.C. regarding the ongoing migrant crisis at the last minute, even as the mayor’s office denied knowledge of the incident. A source further told the paper that the bureau’s public corruption unit questioned the fundraising ace.
Suggs did not immediately respond to calls or text messages from The Daily Beast.
Public records show Suggs has soaked up nearly $150,000 to date from Adams’ campaign, including $30,000 for fundraising work—plus more than $100,000 from a political action committee allied with the Big Apple’s top Democrat.
The raid came just weeks after two construction executives confessed in Manhattan court to participating in a straw donor scheme, through which the duo kicked cash to Adams’ campaign in the names of their employees. District Attorney Alvin Bragg did not accuse Suggs or Adams of involvement in the plot, although he did name another of the mayor’s associates as an alleged co-conspirator in the complaint.
Last month, the New York Daily News also identified multiple individuals not connected with the construction company who appeared as contributors in the mayor’s campaign filings but claimed they could not recall giving him money.
The New York Times noted that Suggs served under Adams when he was Brooklyn borough president, and now works as a lobbyist to a real estate firm. A spokesperson for the mayor said he had returned early from D.C. to “deal with a matter.”