The FBI searched the homes of another aide to New York Mayor Eric Adams and a Turkish Airlines executive on the same day they raided the home of his top fundraiser.
Federal agents executed arrest warrants on Nov. 2 at the New Jersey homes of Rana Abbasova, director of protocol at Adams’ Office for International Affairs, and Cenk Öcal, a former Turkish Airlines executive who was part of his transition team.
Abbasova, 41, was Adam’s longtime liaison to the Turkish community when he was Brooklyn borough president, The New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, Öcal served as general manager of Turkish Airlines’ New York office until early 2022.
The mayor’s office had described Abbasova as an aide who “acted inappropriately” after the FBI took Adams’ electronics as part of the agency’s investigation into an alleged campaign kickback scheme.
Boyd Johnson, the attorney for the Adams campaign, said the employee, now known as Abbasova, had been reported to investigators. He did not identify the person or provide any details about the alleged inappropriate behavior.
Federal agents executed arrest warrants on Nov. 2 at the New Jersey home of Rana Abbasova, director of protocol at the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs
Cenk Öcal was general manager of Turkish Airlines’ New York office until early 2022
The mayor’s office had described Abbasova as an aide who “acted inappropriately”
The attorney said at the time, “After becoming aware of the federal investigation, it was discovered that an individual had recently acted inappropriately… In the spirit of transparency and cooperation, this conduct was immediately and proactively reported to investigators.”
Abbasova’s alleged “inappropriate” behavior is said to be related to an FBI investigation into whether Adams’ campaign colluded with a Brooklyn construction company and the Turkish government to funnel foreign money into the campaign’s coffers.
Sources claimed on Wednesday that Abbasova had lied to federal investigators, the New York Post reported.
Investigators investigating possible campaign finance violations by New York’s mayor have focused on a series of text messages discussing a new Turkish consulate in the city.
Reyhan Ozgur, the Turkish consul in New York City, asked Adams for help in obtaining the necessary permits for his new consulate, before the United Nations
New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro was contacted by Eric Adams and asked for help
The New York Post reported that agents are particularly interested in a conversation Adams had in September 2021 – before he became mayor – about work at the Turkish consulate in Manhattan.
Reyhan Ozgur, the Turkish consul, told Adams in a text message that the new consulate had received the permits needed from the Buildings Department to open but did not have the fire certificate.
It still had to obtain a “temporary certificate of occupancy” from the fire department, Ozgur said, and asked Adams if he knew and could help Daniel Nigro, the fire chief.
Adams contacted Nigro and asked him to investigate the matter, but did not order him to do anything. Nigro then texted Adams and said the approval was in progress and would be ready in a few days.
Abbasova’s biography on the town hall page describes her role as promoting “closer relations between the City of New York and the broader diplomatic community.”
She also ‘manages contacts with foreign dignitaries’.
But a source claims she took on a new role in the mayor’s event planning unit earlier this year, working as a “body person” traveling with the mayor.
They said: ‘Rana was a quiet, modest person.’
Agents searched the home of Brianna Suggs, a campaign consultant who helped Adams raise $2.5 million for his 2025 election
Agents in FBI vests were among those who removed boxes from the home
It comes after the FBI seized the mayor’s electronic devices last week – following a raid on the home of his top fundraiser and longtime confidante Brianna Suggs, 25, as part of an investigation into an alleged kickback scheme.
FBI agents seized New York Mayor Eric Adams’ cellphones and an iPad after arresting him in the middle of the street.
After news of the seizure of his devices broke, Adams told CNN “he has nothing to hide.”
He said: ‘As a former member of law enforcement, I expect all my employees to follow the law and cooperate fully with any investigation – and I will continue to do so.’
The New York Times reported that FBI officials approached the Democrat on the street Monday evening and asked that this security team step away. The officers then climbed into Adams’ SUV and took his devices — at least two cellphones and an iPad.
The devices were returned to Adams within a few days. The FBI can make copies of data from seized devices if they have a search warrant.
Adams has said he would be “shocked and hurt” if officials discovered his campaign had done anything illegal.
After the FBI seized his phones and iPad last week, the first-term Democrat reiterated Tuesday that he was cooperating with what he called a “review” and said he would not speculate on its outcome.
He and his lead attorney at City Hall insisted he did not want to hinder the investigation and declined to say whether electronics had been transferred from other government or campaign figures, whether the FBI had been asked to interview the mayor, or who or what another Adams used to be. The lawyer meant last week that ‘a person has recently acted unlawfully.’
The federal investigation entered the public eye on Nov. 2 when agents searched the home of Adams’ chief fundraiser during his 2021 mayoral campaign, Briana Suggs. The development prompted Adams to leave a planned meeting at the White House and fly home from Washington. He later explained that he wanted to be part of his staff because “there needs to be a leader here in those tough times.”
Four days later, after the search of Suggs’ home, FBI agents stopped Adams as he left a public event, asked his police security officer to step away and took his electronic devices.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which is overseeing the investigation, declined to comment. A spokesperson for Suggs also declined to comment. Neither she nor Adams have been accused of wrongdoing.