FBI searches home of fundraiser to NYC mayor

NEW YORK — Federal authorities searched the home of a key ally and fundraiser for New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday, the same morning the mayor abruptly canceled meetings in Washington and returned to the city.

Federal agents searched the home of Brianna Suggs, who raised money for the mayor’s 2021 election campaign and is involved in his reelection effort ahead of the 2025 race.

The reason for the raid, which was first reported by The New York Times, was unclear, and Suggs did not return a request for comment. A spokesperson for Suggs, Jordan Barowitz, declined to comment. There was no immediate comment from the FBI or prosecutors.

“The campaign has always held itself to the highest standards. The campaign will of course comply with any inquiries, as appropriate," Adams campaign counsel Vito Pitta said in a statement.

Pitta later added: “Mayor Adams has not been contacted as part of this inquiry."

Around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, at least a dozen reporters were gathered around Suggs' house in Brooklyn. Witnesses said FBI agents arrived at around 7:30 a.m and were there for about two hours. Video taken by an witness reviewed by POLITICO showed multiple FBI officers dressed in suits and bulletproof vests around Suggs' home, with at least one cardboard box being carried out.

The raid — along with the mayor’s unusual about-face from a slate of high-profile meetings about the migrant crisis — adds another layer to the increasing focus on people close to the mayor by law enforcement officials.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is currently investigating an alleged straw donor scheme involving the mayor’s reelection campaign — though neither Adams himself nor anyone in his administration is implicated.

And Bragg has accused the mayor’s former buildings commissioner of abusing his authority for personal gain, though again, Adams is not implicated in the complaint.

Suggs’ history with Adams dates back to his days as Brooklyn borough president, where she began working in 2017 as an intern, according to her LinkedIn profile. She stayed at Borough Hall through the end of Adams’ term there in 2021, city records show.

She ran the office’s gender equity portfolio and worked under Ingrid Lewis-Martin, according to a person with knowledge of the office. Lewis-Martin was deputy borough president and is now chief adviser to the mayor in City Hall.

She then began fundraising for Adams’ 2021 election campaign, claiming to have raised $18.4 million between the primary and general campaigns (though Adams was also involved in a public matching system that paired taxpayer dollars with individual contributions).

Adams’ reelection campaign has reported paying Suggs’ firm, Suggs Solutions, for campaign consulting.

She also signed a contract in August 2022 to lobby the city on behalf of the owner of the East Broadway Mall, a Chinatown shopping center in a city-owned building, the Daily News reported, and is involved in fundraising for a committee tied to the Brooklyn Democratic Party — a staunch ally of the mayor.

On Thursday morning at around 7:30, Adams filmed himself on a D.C.-bound plane, previewing for his social media audience a series of meetings he was supposed to have — alongside the mayors from Chicago and Denver — with the White House and federal lawmakers.

By 9 a.m., his office sent out notice that all the meetings were cancelled and provided a cryptic statement about why he was heading back to New York City, saying only that he had to deal with "a matter."

A mayoral spokesperson did not comment on the FBI raid.

Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn defended Suggs.

“I don’t know why they raided her. But I feel very confident that she didn’t do anything wrong,” Bichotte Hermelyn said in an interview with POLITICO.

She said Suggs was a volunteer for a few political events for the party and was never paid — and there are no campaign finance filings that suggest she was paid.

“Brianna is a person that we consider the most highest integrity. She is smart. She knows the rules and regulations.” Bichotte Hermelyn said, adding she had not been in touch with the mayor or his team Thursday.

Jason Beeferman contributed to this report.