Add The New York Post on Google Ex-Mayor Eric Adams’ former top adviser Frank Carone was photographed more than once outside the gaudy Long Island mansion of a hotelier who allegedly gave him $120,000 in bribes.
Carone, the 56-year-old ex-Adams chief of staff, was snapped twice outside the Glen Head, New York, home of his alleged co-conspirator, Yan Po “Andy” Zhu — which featured elaborate stonework, a massive resort-like pool and lush landscaping.
Carone was also photographed with Zhu inside Zhu’s huge cellar fully stocked with hundreds of bottles of wine.
The photos were included in a 13-count indictment unsealed Wednesday against Carone, Zhu and two others, alleging that Zhu leveraged his growing friendship with Carone to net a lucrative city contract for his Queens hotel to serve as a temporary migrant shelter in 2022.
Zhu, 51, had Carone over his place on June 3, 2022, and then again August 13, 2022, the court papers alleged.
After the first visit, Zhu sent Carone text messages three days later asking him to intervene with the city’s Department of Social Services (DSS), which previously rejected Zhu’s bid for his Long Island City Microtel to secure an Emergency Shelter Contract, according to the court papers.
And a month after Carone’s second visit to Zhu’s home, Zhu again texted Carone asking him to step in and push his hotel through for the multi-million dollar contract, the filing claims.
Carone allegedly asked the commissioner of the DSS on multiple occasions to approve Microtel for the program, finally getting the OK in November of that year only after Zhu began making monthly $10,000 bribe payments to Carone, the court documents charge.
Microtel won a $6.825 million one-year contract to temporarily convert the facility into a shelter to help the city cope with the migrant crisis.
DSS previously rejected the hotel because of the saturation of other hotels in the area that were already set up as shelters, as well the pushback from locals trying to block the temporary shelters in their neighborhood and the fact.
Microtel wasn’t a great fit for the city anyway because it was half the size of the hotels normally used for the shelters, the court papers said.
In all, Zhu paid Carone $120,000 over the course of 12 months, which Carone used to pay off his American Express credit card bills, the indictment charges.
Zhu’s business manager, Crystal Chen, 39, was also busted since she allegedly helped facilitate the payments to Carone.
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And Carone’s 54-year-old brother, Anthony Carone, was also arrested for acting as a middle man for his brother’s bribes, the court papers allege.
Zhu paid the funds to Anthony Carone’s law firm’s account and Anthony Carone then transferred the money to his brother’s credit cards and through checks, the docs claim.
All of the defendants pleaded not guilty at their arraignments Wednesday afternoon in Brooklyn federal court on conspiracy, bribery, obstruction of justice and related crimes. They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Frank’s lawyers Andrew Goldstein and Russell Capone said the allegations were “utterly misguided.”
“Frank Carone served the City of New York honorably,” the lawyers said in the statement. “He was instrumental in helping the city navigate an unprecedented migrant crisis, but had absolutely nothing to do with granting the temporary migrant shelter at the center of these charges.
“We believe a speedy trial is critical and the facts will vindicate Frank.”
