New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ reelection campaign booted a close adviser after she allegedly tried to bribe a journalist by slipping her some cash in a potato chip bag.
Winnie Greco, the mayor’s former director of Asian affairs at City Hall, had returned to the campaign trail as a volunteer during Adams’s ill-fated run for a second term. She was already a lightning rod, with the FBI raiding her homes last year as part of a federal investigation into possible Chinese interference in the 2021 mayor’s race.
On Wednesday, she attended an Adams event in Harlem where, according to The City, Greco handed over more than $100 in a red envelope inside a snack bag to reporter Katie Honan. The news outlet stated that it immediately contacted the city’s Department of Investigation, while federal prosecutors in Brooklyn reached out to the newspaper’s lawyers.
“We are shocked by these reports,” Adams’ campaign spokesperson, Todd Shapiro, told the outlet. “Winnie Greco holds no position in this campaign and has been suspended from all volunteer campaign-related activities.”
Shapiro emphasized that Adams has “always demanded the highest ethical and legal standards.” But that statement sounds odd, considering Adams is running for reelection after five federal criminal charges against him were dismissed, and the fact that he left the Democratic Party to run as an independent, knowing his bid for another term was uncertain.
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Meanwhile, Greco’s lawyer, Steven Brill, stated that the entire situation was a cultural issue. He claimed it’s common in Chinese tradition to give cash to reporters as “a gesture of friendship and gratitude.”
“I grant you this looks odd,” Brill admitted, but he still insisted Greco’s intent was “purely innocent.” He stated she was “apologetic and embarrassed” and that the gesture had been “misconstrued.”
Greco’s stunt threatens to deepen the scandal surrounding Adams and his troubled reelection bid. Several associates are expected to face corruption charges in the coming days, according to The New York Times, which cited four people familiar with the matter. Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the mayor’s closest adviser and former chief of staff, was already accused on Thursday of accepting thousands in bribes.
Honan told the Times that Greco texted her, asking to meet across the street by a bank. Thinking she would receive a tip about the pending indictments, Honan walked with Greco into a Whole Foods, where the adviser pressed the snack bag into her hands. Honan tried to refuse and even attempted to return it. Once on the subway, she opened the bag and found a red envelope filled with cash.
“I looked and I go, ‘Oh my God, it’s money,’” Honan said, adding she immediately called Greco to try to return the cash—at least one $100 bill and several $20 bills. In response, Greco told her that she had left the area and laughed about the exchange.
Honan then turned the envelope over to higher-ups at her news outlet, which reported that federal prosecutors seized the chip bag and cash.
The episode has sparked mockery, with critics pointing out that Adams and his inner circle seem unable to avoid scandal. From FBI raids to federal indictments, the mayor is somehow always dogged by controversy. The chip-bag handoff was so clumsy it bordered on parody. Still, it highlighted a serious problem for Adams: He can’t seem to cut loose from the very people who are further damaging his already fragile reputation.
Greco has been a fixture in Adams’ circle for more than a decade, dating back to his days as Brooklyn borough president. According to the Times, she was among a handful of friends with him in Times Square on the night he was sworn in as mayor in 2022, and she stood alongside him at City Hall when he launched his reelection campaign.
She stepped down from his administration in October 2024, part of a wave of departures following Adams’ federal corruption indictment, but reappeared this year at campaign events for the mayor.
When asked about the incident by The City, Greco described it as “cultural” and apologized repeatedly.
“Can we forget about this?” she said. “Please don’t do in the news nothing about me.”
Too late. Now, with the chip-bag stunt making headlines, Greco has once again dragged Adams deeper into scandal. Another shady character tied to a shady mayor? No surprise there.
