Weihong Hu, fundraiser to Mayor Adams, charged with alleged conspiracy and fraud: prosecutors

NEW YORK -- Another person who has curried favor with New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces criminal charges.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn on Thursday charged Weihong Hu, a hotel developer who reportedly packaged tens of thousands of dollars in donations for the mayor's campaign, with conspiracy and fraud stemming from a pandemic housing program.

Hu and two codefendants defrauded the COVID-era Emergency Housing Program that released inmates to New York City hotels and provided them with various services, including mental health, security, job training and food services.

"Through kickbacks and bribes, the defendants Julio Medina, Christopher Dantzler and Weihong Hu capitalized on the Covid-19 crisis and exploited the Emergency Housing Program by engaging in a corrupt scheme to line their own pockets with millions of dollars intended to protect the public," the indictment said.

Winnie Greco, a former Adams aide who served as a liaison to the Chinese community until her home was raided by the FBI, reportedly lived for a time in one of Hu's hotels that was supposed to be used for the program.

Hu's hotels received $12 million in public funds for their participation in the Emergency Housing Program and her catering company received another $17 million, winning the contracts by paying bribes to the nonprofit organization that oversaw the program, according to the indictment.

According to federal prosecutors, Hu is seen at one of her hotels in Queens taking a wrapped stack of United States currency out of her wallet, put it into a manila envelope, and providing it to Medina, who put it into his bag. During the same meeting, Hu received what appear to be the Emergency Housing Program Checks from Medina that were deposited into a bank account associated with the catering company.