Longtime Adams confidante Winnie Greco resigns and staffer believed to be cooperating with feds is fired as City Hall shakeup continues
Two controversial City Hall staffers ā including Winnie Greco, a longtime confidante to Mayor Eric Adams ā were pushed out of theirš¼ jobs Monday, The Posź¦t has learned.
Greco ā who officials believe will potentially be indicted by the feds ā resigned, while staffer Rana Abbasova, a key figure in the criminal case agaā¤inst Aādams, was fired, sources said.
Two other staffers ā Mohammad Bahi,š³ the mayorās liaison to the Muslim community, and Ahsan Chutgai, his senior Muslim adviser ā resigned in recent days, according to sources.
Aš§ll four couldnāt immediately be reached for comment. Attorneys for Abbasova and Greco did not return calls.
The resignation of Greco is the latestĀ majorĀ Adams administration shakeupĀ since the mayor was indicted on federal bribery and corruption charges — and Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a directive that he clean houseĀ if he wants to keep his job before a sure-to-be blockbuster trial, according to sources.
Grešco served as the mayorās ź§director of Asian affairs, and has long been under scrutiny for ties to Chinese nationals.
Insiders said Grecoās departure became inevitable as those in the administration braced for her to be indicted by feds with Eāastern District of New York over her dealings with foreign countries while she served in city government and on Adamsā election campaigns.
Murmurs of Grecoās likely ouster grew deafening Friday after insiders said Adams would drum out First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.
Greco was spotted speaking to Adamsā chiefšø adviser Ingrid Lewis-MartinĀ at City Hall.Ā When approached by The Post, Greco briskly walked away, repeating āno commentā whenĀ asked about her potential resignation, the long-rumored indictment against her and the federal raid on her home at the beginning of this year.
Federal agents also raidedĀ Abbasova’sĀ home, back in NovemberĀ ā on the same day they hit the residences of Brianna Suggs and Cenk Ocal, the Turkish line exec who lined up trips for Adams through Abbasova.
Abbasova has been identified aą¼s a key witness in the fedsā case against Adams,Ā which details $123,000 worth of travel perks he allegedly received from Turkish officials and nationals.
She had worked as Adamsā liaison to Turkš¦©ey during his days as Brooklynās borough president ā a role that brought her under the fedsā eyes as they investigated the mayor.
The 57-page indictment against Adams features Abbasova several times, accusing her ofš coordinating āmany of the illegal campaign contributions and improper personal travel benefitsā that Adams allegedly reaped from Turkey.
The indictment claims she alš“so went to the bathroom while meeting with FBI agents and deleted texts.
Abbasova had served as the mayorās director of protocol in the Office for International Affairs untšil she was placed on leave from the administration for asking staffers to delete messages.
Like Abbasova, Adams and Greco have š a long history that goes backĀ to his days as Brooklynās borough president, when she served as volunteešr fundraiser and Chinese community liaison.
Adamāsā indictment ā beyond being the first federal charges against a sitting Big Apple mayor ā came after amid spiraling federal investigations into the City Hallās top officials, including GrecoĀ and Abbasova.
The feds raided Grecoās Bronx home in February, after she faced a probe by the cityās Department of Inšvestigation over allegations she improperly used heš ·r City Hall position to get perks.
She allegedly promised a campaign volunteer a jobš in Adamsā administration if they heź§lped renovate her kitchen in early 2022.
Greco,Ā who makes $100,000 a year,Ā took į£a leave of absence from City Hall but came back months later.
Her return apparently sparkedÜ« strife with at least one top City Hall official: now-former Chief Counsel Lisa Zornbešrg.
Sources said she pushed Adams to oust Greco, arguing she couldnāt ethically represent her after she lied on financial disclosure foź¦rms.
Adams didnāt heed Zornbergās advice, andā the top lawyer abruptly ļ·ŗresigned.
Greco also featą¹ured in the indictment against Adamsą·“.Ā Ā She traveled with Adams on two continent-spanning trips during 2017, according to the indictment.
During the first in July and August 2017, Greco joined Adams and the then-borough presidentās son on an enviable excursion jet-setting from Nice, France; Istanbul, Turkey; Columbo, Sri Lanka; and Beijing, China, according to tšÆhe court papers.
āAdams accepted free business class tickets froš m the Turkish Airline, worth more than $35,000 total, āfor himself and his companions,ā the indictment reads.
While in Istanbul, the trio received a heavily discounted stay at the St. Regis Istanbul, where the future mayor shacked up in the luxurious āBentley Suite,āā the indictment details.
Greco also flew with Adams to Nepal through Istanbul and Beijing during October 2017, documents state. The free business class tickets for the pairās travel were worth more than $16,000 ź¦total, according to the indictment.
Her departure came on the heels of Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, another Adams staffer under federal fire,Ā stepping downĀ Monday.