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Former mayoral aide pleads guilty to seeking illegal donations for Adams’ 2021 campaign
By
Samantha Max
Published Aug 12, 2025
Modified Aug 12, 2025
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Samantha Max / Gothamist
By
Samantha Max
Published Aug 12, 2025
Modified Aug 12, 2025
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A former aide to Mayor Eric Adams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a Manhattan federal courtroom Tuesday.
Mohamed Bahi, 41, admitted in court to organizing a fundraising event for Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign in which employees of a construction company were asked to donate, with the expectation that they would be reimbursed.
In a brief prepared statement, he told the judge he knew this was wrong.
“I understood that the Adams campaign would then seek matching funds,” he said.
Prosecutors accused Bahi of telling the donors to lie to federal investigators about the campaign event. Officials also said he deleted an encrypted messaging app that he used to communicate with Adams when law enforcement came to search his home last year.
A federal grand jury indicted the mayor last year on corruption charges related to his 2021 campaign. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York accused him of trading his political power for pricey flights, fancy hotel accommodations and illegal campaign contributions.
Prosecutors also alleged that he exploited the city’s matching fund system, which offers candidates eight taxpayer dollars for each dollar they raise from small local donors.
Prosecutors said in February that Bahi planned to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge. But the outcome of his case became uncertain days later, when the Justice Department pressured prosecutors in New York City to dismiss Adams’ corruption case.
Several prosecutors refused to follow the Justice Department’s instructions and resigned in protest. The lead prosecutor overseeing the case, Danielle Sassoon, said Adams’ lawyers offered to help President Donald Trump’s administration with immigration enforcement if his indictment were dismissed — an allegation Adams denied.
In April, U.S. District Judge Dale Ho dropped the mayor’s case, arguing that he didn’t have the authority to force the government to keep pursuing the charges. But he said the agreement “smacks of a bargain.”
After pleading guilty, Bahi ignored questions from reporters about whether he resented that the mayor’s case was dropped while his continued. When asked outside of court whether he thought it was fair, he cracked a smile and then walked away with his attorney, who declined to comment.
Ho will sentence Bahi this November and could face up to five years in federal prison.
Ho said in court that Bahi has waived his right to appeal his sentence if it is between zero and six months, signaling that he could spend far less than five years behind bars. He has already agreed to pay $32,000 in restitution.
Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for the mayor, said in a statement that Adams “has broken no laws and has always instructed his team to follow the law.”
This story has been updated with additional information and a comment from the mayor’s office.
Tagged
Politics
eric adams
new york city
public safety
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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