Who is Frank Carone? 5 things to know about NYC Mayor Eric Adams' former chief of staff arrested in bribery case

Frank Carone, the former chief of staff to ex-NYC Mayor Eric Adams, has been arrested on bribery charges.

Frank Carone, who served as the chief of staff to former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has been arrested and charged with accepting more than $100,000 in bribes to steer a migrant shelter contract to a Queens hotel, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday, as per AP.

FILE - New York City Mayor Eric Adams, center, speaks during a cabinet meeting on his first day in office in New York, Jan. 1, 2022. To Adams' right is his Chief of Staff Frank Carone. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Here's who he is and what we know about him.

Who is Frank Carone?

Frank Carone is a longtime Brooklyn power broker who is widely credited as one of the architects of Eric Adams' political rise. He played a key role in Adams' campaign for mayor in 2021 and served as Adams' chief of staff in 2022. In 2023, he formed a political consulting firm.

He also was a one-time lawyer for the Brooklyn Democratic Party, as per AP.

5 things to know about him:

1. Frank Carone is best known to the public for his connection to a controversy where a Brooklyn pastor lost his duties, partly for letting pop star Sabrina Carpenter shoot a provocative music video inside his church, as per AP.
2. His church was later subpoenaed by federal investigators who wanted information about business dealings between Carone and Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, the priest who had approved the video.
3. Between 2019 and 2021, the Jamie transferred $1.9 million in parish funds to bank accounts linked to Carone, as per WPIX.
4. Carone's law firm later repaid $1 million of that money, along with about 9% interest, according to Brennan.
5. He was also investigated back in 2024 over his possible dealings with the same priest from the Williamsburg, Brooklyn church.

The bribery case against him

According to AP, Frank Carone's arrest is the latest in a series of corruption allegations involving former New York City Mayor Eric Adams and people close to him. Prosecutors accuse Carone of using his position as Adams' chief of staff to take bribes and commit wire fraud and money laundering. Carone's brother, Anthony Carone, Queens hotel owner Yan Po Zhu and hotel employee Crystal Chen have also been charged.

The city's Social Services Department had initially rejected the hotel's request to house migrants. Prosecutors allege that Carone later stepped in to help the hotel secure the contract. According to the indictment, Zhu sent Carone a text saying, “I asked my partners to pay you for a year.” In another text exchange in September 2022, Zhu wrote, “Thank you my big guy.”

Prosecutors say Carone later deleted the messages after learning that he was under investigation. He has also been charged with obstruction of justice.

According to AP, Carone allegedly received about $120,000 from Zhu and Chen for helping secure the contract. Prosecutors said the money was routed through a law firm owned by Carone's brother. Zhu's hotel eventually received $6.8 million through city shelter contracts.

If convicted, all defendants could face up to 20 years in prison. They were expected to be released after appearing in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday.