Adams Aide Charged With Destroying Evidence, Witness Tampering: Feds

NEW YORK CITY — Mohammed Bahi, one of three staffers who departed the administration Tuesday morning, is now facing federal charges in connection to a straw donor probe.

Bahi, 40, who worked in the city’s Community Affairs Unit, was arrested Tuesday and is charged with witness tampering and destruction of records, according to an unsealed complaint.

The 40-year-old is accused of telling five witnesses to lie to federal authorities who were investigating a December 2020 fundraiser.

Prosecutors allege straw donations were made at the 2020 fundraiser.

Also on July 24, Bahi is accused of deleting Signal, a messaging app, when federal agents arrived at his home to execute a court-issued warrant authorizing the seizure of his cellphone, according to court records.

"As alleged, Mohamed Bahi obstructed a federal criminal investigation by instructing witnesses to lie and then destroying evidence. The charges unsealed today should leave no doubt about the seriousness of any effort to interfere with a federal investigation, particularly when undertaken by a government employee. Our commitment to uncovering the truth and following the facts wherever they may lead is unwavering," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.

Bahi is expected to appear in court Tuesday.

2 Other Staffers Leave Adams Administration

This morning, it was announced that Rana Abbasova, who was a staffer in the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs, was fired Monday and Winnie Greco, the mayor's Director of Asian Affairs, tendered her resignation.

Both women's homes were raided by federal authorities, according to a report by Politico.

Abbasova is apparently a key witness in the illegal campaign donations case against the mayor and is cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

She has been on leave from work since federal authorities raided her home last November.

"Both Winnie Greco and Mohamed Bahi today tendered their resignations,” a City Hall spokesperson told the outlet. “We thank them for their service to the city.