Cheap bribe? Ex-New York Mayor Eric Adams' aide, already under probe over alleged China links, gave a journalist cash hidden in potato chip bag
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Cheap bribe? Ex-New York Mayor Eric Adams' aide, already under probe over alleged China links, gave a journalist cash hidden in potato chip bag")
A file photo of Eric Adams Photograph: (Others)
Greco is yet to be charged over alleged links to China but is under federal probe. She insisted that she knew the journalist, and the potato chip bag containing cash given to her was a gesture of affection, part of her Chinese culture
In an embarrassing moment for former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, his former aide was allegedly caught giving a potential bribe to a journalist—hidden in a potato chip bag. Winnie Greco, a former adviser and fundraiser for Eric Adams, was suspended from his re-election campaign on Wednesday (Aug 20). She claimed innocence, explaining it as a Chinese culture thing. Here's what happened:
Winnie Greco allegedly gave cash in a red envelope
According to reports, Greco handed The City reporter Katie Honan a red envelope hidden in a potato chip bag containing $100 and $20 bills.
According to The City, both Greco and Honan were attending a campaign event in Harlem. Greco texted Honan asking to meet across the street and handed her the chip bag inside a Whole Foods store.
Honan initially declined, but Greco insisted. Upon opening the bag later at a subway stop, Honan discovered the cash and immediately called Greco to return it. Greco reportedly laughed and said she had already left the area.
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Honan handed the red envelope to her editors, who then contacted the Department of Investigation. Federal prosecutors later retrieved the chip bag and the money.
Who is Winnie Greco, alraedy under probe over alleged China links?
Greco is the same person who resigned from City Hall in October 2024, after the FBI raided her Bronx homes. These raids were linked to a wider federal investigation into possible Chinese government interference in the 2021 New York mayoral race, which Adams won. She is not charged, but the probe is going on
Also read: NYC Mayor Eric Adams denies 'quid pro quo' with Trump administration to drop criminal case
Greco had recently rejoined Adams’s campaign as a volunteer, despite ongoing concerns about her ties to China.
‘Don’t make it news': Greco apologises, her lawyer says it's a culture thing
Greco later apologised to The City, reportedly saying: “I feel so bad right now… Can we forget about this? Please don’t do in the news nothing about me.” She added it was a “culture thing.”
Greco’s lawyer, Steven Brill, insisted it was ‘not a bag of cash’, saying that in Chinese culture, money is often given in a gesture of friendship and gratitude. Winnie’s intention was ‘born purely out of kindness,’ said the lawyer. He also said Greco knew the reporter and was fond of her.
Also read: 'If you speak up...': Zohran Mamdani slams Trump after 'deportation' threat, says THIS about ICE
Adams was close to Greco
Eric Adams is contesting the NYC mayoral race as an independent. Despite the China probe controversy, Adams kept Greco close until her resignation. She had been with him since his 2013 borough presidency. Greco stepped down during a wave of resignations following Adams’s federal corruption indictment, which was later dismissed by the Trump administration.
Adams' campaign suspends Greco, says it's shocked
Todd Shapiro, Adams’s campaign spokesperson, expressed shock, saying Mayor Adams had no prior knowledge of this matter. "He has always demanded the highest ethical and legal standards.”
Shapiro said Greco had been suspended from all volunteer activities.
