New York City Mayor Eric Adams under pressure as top aide is fired after potentially turning on City Hall in federal probe

Eric Adams has fired his intermediary to the Turkish government amid claims that she agreed to tell prosecutors about the bribes she allegedly arranged for him.

The shockwaves from the FBI’s indictment of New York’s mayor claimed even more victims Monday as Rana Abbasova was fired and Asian Affairs Director Winnie Greco resigned from City Hall.

Abbasova, the mayor’s former protocol director for international affairs, has been on leave since the FBI raided her home last November.

She is accused in the indictment of coordinating “many of the illegal campaign contributions and improper personal travel benefits” the mayor allegedly received in exchange for granting planning favors to Turkish developers.

And her departure marks an ominous development for her old boss as he prepares to appear in court again on November 1.

Adams pleaded not guilty on September 27 to charges of fraud and bribery in a case that marks a stunning downfall for a man once touted as a future star of the Democratic Party.

Her work in dealing with Turkey extends from before Adams’ election as mayor in 2022 to his years as Brooklyn borough president.

The indictment alleges that during her interview with the FBI after the raid on her home, she “excused herself to a bathroom and, while there, deleted the encrypted messaging applications she had used to communicate with Adams, the promoter, the Turkish official , the Airline Manager and others’.

The mayor placed her on leave with sources close to him claiming she had acted “inappropriately” by asking other staff members to delete text messages.

“As we have said repeatedly, we recently became aware of an individual acting inappropriately, which we immediately reported to investigators,” a spokesperson said at the time.

“The most important thing to remember is that the mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing.”

That changed dramatically on September 25 when Adams was indicted on federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting foreign campaign donations.

Adams is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery and receiving campaign contributions from foreign nationals.

He is also accused of defrauding New York taxpayers of $10 million through allegedly fraudulent campaign funds.

He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, claiming he did nothing wrong after becoming the first mayor in the city’s history to face criminal charges.

Winnie Greco, 61, the city’s Asian affairs director, also left Monday, claiming she had promised a job to a campaign volunteer in exchange for renovating her kitchen.

Adams poses with consultant Winnie Greco at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in August

Abbasova was Adams’ liaison to the Turkish community since his days as president of Brooklyn and is accused of arranging illegal campaign contributions

The indictment alleges that Abbasova arranged illegal foreign “straw” donations to the Adams campaign for years, along with travel enhancements for the mayor, his family and associates.

But Abbasova’s forced departure came days after the Justice Department was forced to release evidence that the mayor’s lawyers say discredits her as a witness.

Prosecutors are required to disclose and turn over to the defense any “Brady evidence” they discover that is favorable to a suspect’s case.

Attorney Alex Spiro linked the release of Brady evidence on Friday to Abbasova’s firing on Monday.

“These prosecutors have finally, after much delay and deception, admitted that they concealed Brady material about the key witness in the case that proves Mayor Adams is innocent,” Spiro said. nbcnewyork.com.

But the exodus continued to gather momentum with the resignation of Adams’ longtime confidante Winnie Greco.

She served as the mayor’s director of Asian affairs and saw her home raided in February by FBI agents investigating claims that she demanded bribes, including asking a campaign volunteer to renovate her kitchen in exchange for a job in administration .

Greco was a constant figure at Adams’ side, accompanying him and his son on a trip to France in 2017, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Chinaaccording to the court papers.

Late that year, she joined him on a trip to Beijing via Turkey and Nepal for tickets worth more than $16,000.

According to the indictment, Adams accepted a number of luxury gifts in his relationship with Turkish officials, including stays at luxury hotels in Istanbul.

Adams allegedly pressured the FDNY to open a Turkish government high-rise building in Manhattan in exchange for “luxury travel benefits” — despite the building failing safety inspections.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams alleged that Adams “took corrupt official action in exchange for some of the luxury travel benefits.”

He claimed there was “significant time pressure” to open the building in time for a visit by the Turkish president, at the insistence of a Turkish official.