Waste of the Day: NYC Bribery Bigs Paid $13 Million
Topline: Mayor Eric Adams and 13 other officials questioned in New York City’s bribery scandal earned $13.3 million in salary from taxpayers in the past decade, according to payroll records obtained by OpenTheBooks.com.
Key facts: Adams was indicted in September for allegedly taking bribes and campaign contributions from foreign governments in exchange for political favors.
Since then, at least 13 other members of his administration were either indicted or questioned and searched by the FBI. Only two of them have been charged with a crime, but eight of them have already resigned. All except for three earned salaries above $200,000 last year.
Adams has earned almost $2.2 million since 2014 as mayor and Brooklyn Borough president. Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who resigned after federal agents seized his phone, has earned $2.1 million in the last 10 years. Three others made over $1 million in the last decade.
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Background: Schools Chancellor David Banks took home over $363,000 per year before stepping down, but he and Adams have helped their friends and family earn massive salaries as well.
In 2022, Banks promoted Adams’ girlfriend Tracey Collins to a senior role in the Department of Education, and gave her a $50,000 raise to bring her salary to $221,000. She allegedly hasn’t shown up to work since last Thanksgiving. She made $1.9 million since 2014.
That was months after, Adams hired Banks’ girlfriend Sheena Wright as a deputy mayor earning $275,000.
Adams also hired Banks’ brother, Phillip Banks III, as deputy mayor. He was earning $252,000 before resigning in October following an FBI raid.
Banks also gave a $150,000 education job to Adams’ sister-in-law. Adams tried to pay his brother $242,000 as a mayoral security advisor but was stopped by city ethics rules.
Summary: Investigations after a wrongdoing has occurred can only accomplish so much. Taxpayers must demand more transparency to weed out potentially corrupt officials before they become millionaires off public salaries.
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