One of the most prominent figures from New York City's recent City Hall is now facing criminal charges. According to News 12, Frank Carone, who served as chief of staff to former Mayor Eric Adams, has been indicted on bribery charges connected to a city contract. The case brings a familiar name from the Adams administration into a courtroom as a defendant.
The heart of the indictment is an allegation of corruption around public money. Carone is accused of accepting bribes in connection with a multi-million dollar city contract, and then taking steps to hide the suspected scheme. Prosecutors frame the conduct as a deliberate effort to profit from his position while concealing what was going on.
The indictment puts a specific figure on the alleged payoff. It claims that Carone took 120,000 dollars, a sum that prosecutors say was tied directly to the awarding of the contract. That payment sits at the center of the government's case against him.
The money, according to the indictment, was meant to deliver a lucrative deal to a specific business. Carone allegedly took the payment in exchange for making sure a hotel received a 6.8 million dollar contract to house immigrant families. The arrangement linked the alleged bribe to one of the city's pressing needs as it scrambled to find shelter during its migrant crisis.
What makes the allegation more striking is the timing described by prosecutors. The indictment says the hotel got the contract even after the city had denied the application, suggesting the deal moved forward despite an earlier rejection. That detail is central to the claim that something improper drove the decision.
Carone, for his part, is pushing back firmly against the case. His attorney denies the allegations, dismissing the indictment as built on assumption after assumption rather than solid proof. With the charges now filed, Carone is set to contest the accusations in court as the case moves forward.