Reporter says former aide to Mayor Eric Adams gave her chip bag filled with cash
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- A volunteer for Mayor Eric Adams' reelection campaign has been suspended after reportedly trying to give a reporter cash in a potato chip bag.
The mayor's campaign confirmed that Winnie Greco has been suspended from her volunteer duties with the campaign.
It follows a report Wednesday in "The City," which says she tried to give one of their reporters money hidden in the chip bag.
"We are shocked by these reports. Winnie Greco holds no position in this campaign and has been suspended from all VOLUNTEER campaign-related activities. Mayor Adams had no prior knowledge of this matter. He has always demanded the highest ethical and legal standards, and his sole focus remains on serving the people of New York City with integrity," Todd Shapiro, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams' campaign, said in a statement.
Greco's attorney, Steven Brill, said the exchange was harmless and denied it was a cash payoff.
"Any implication this is a payoff or the handing off of a bag of cash in a dark alley is absurd," Brill said. "I can see from the outside how it looks strange and unusual. But I assure you, Winnie's intent was purely innocent. In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude. This is merely just an extension of her generosity, kindness, and her friendship. Many would attest to that. Her intention was merely to extend that to this reporter, who she was fond of, and who she knew. There was nothing more nefarious than that."
Brill went on to say that "Winnie is apologetic and embarrassed by any negative impression or confusion this may have caused."
More allegations of corruption surround Mayor Adams and his re-election campaign as his former chief advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin was indicted Thursday on new corruption charges.
Lewis-Martin is accused of accepting more than $75,000 in bribes in wide-ranging conspiracies.
While she's no longer the mayor's chief advisor, she has remained on as a volunteer for Adam's re-election campaign. A spokesperson for the mayor says he is not being charged and has no involvement in this matter.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Real Estate Services Jesse Hamilton, a former state senator and mayoral friend and two campaign supporters, Gina and Tony Argento were also indicted as part of the ongoing probe by the city's Department of Investigation.
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