Federal law enforcement officers have raided a hotel owned by a businesswoman linked to possibly illegal campaign contributions to New York Mayor Eric Adams.
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Federal officials executed a search warrant Thursday at a hotel that hotel developer Weihong Hu owns in Long Island City, Queens, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter. The hotel runs a shelter program for former inmates, which has resulted in millions of city contract dollars going to Hu’s company.
Hu was the subject of an earlier investigation by the Guardian in collaboration with the news sites The City and Documented, which found that Hu had scored lucrative contracts and other benefits from city agencies after organizing fundraisers for Adams.
The raid is part of an ongoing criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the matter confirmed.
In a phone call, Hu’s attorney, Kevin Tung, said he had not yet heard of his client’s raid but speculated it could be related to the people who are part of the social services program at the site.
“Maybe it has nothing to do with her,” Tung said. “She’s renting this place to the city. The city manages the site. Maybe there are people who are causing problems.”
In a statement to the Guardian, Elizabeth Koke, a spokesperson for Housing Works, the nonprofit social services organization that manages the shelter program at the site, said the federal raid did not target parts of the hotel where their program operates.
“Housing Works was not the target of the federal authorities’ action – nor were the customers Housing Works serves at this location, agency management, any subsidiaries, subcontractors, etc.,” Koke said. “The agency will continue to provide the highest quality services to all of its clients in more than 30 locations throughout New York City. Management will endeavor to minimize any action that could disrupt the well-being of staff and customers.”
Earlier this year, following reporting by the Guardian, the City and Documented, federal authorities also raided two homes of Winnie Greco, a longtime aide to Adams who had close ties to Hu.
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Greco lived for several months at another hotel owned by Hu in Queens, despite the fact that the hotel also hosted a city-funded shelter program. The aide also appeared with Adams at a fundraiser hosted by Hu, which was the subject of subsequent allegations of illegally returned campaign contributions, as the Guardian previously reported.
Greco has since resigned from her position in the Adams administration. Through her attorney, Greco previously declined to respond to questions about campaign donations she helped raise for Adams.
In a statement, Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for Adams, sought to distance his administration from the law enforcement raid.
“Mayor Adams has made it clear that this administration is committed to following and enforcing the law and we will continue to cooperate with all law enforcement requests, even those unrelated to the mayor,” she said.
Tung, Hu’s lawyer, has previously disputed allegations of misconduct on behalf of his client.
“These are all allegations… and I don’t think most of them are true,” he said at the time.
