NEW YORK — The former chief of staff to ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams is now in federal custody, arrested alongside his brother and two additional individuals as part of an alleged bribery scheme connected to a city contract, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
That source identified Frank Carone as one of four people taken into custody. The source spoke under the condition of anonymity, noting they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
Few additional details were made available right away, though formal indictments were anticipated to be unsealed later on Wednesday.
Carone’s defense attorney, Arthur Aidala, wasted no time firing back at the charges, describing the indictment as “weak” and “based on purely circumstantial evidence that’s not worth the paper upon which it is printed.”
Aidala issued a pointed statement, saying: “Today’s indictment is a sad day for our criminal justice system. It epitomizes the government first finding a target and then spending three years and enormous taxpayer resources to find a crime.”
A spokesperson for Adams, Todd Shapiro, also released a statement, describing Carone as someone who “dedicated decades of his life to public service, the legal profession, and helping countless individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations throughout New York.”
“This is an ongoing legal matter and my prayers are with his family,” Shapiro’s statement concluded.
