Winnie Greco, a close adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, allegedly offered money to Katie Honan, a writer for The City, after a campaign event in Harlem.
The bundle of cash was placed inside an opened bag of Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion ripple potato chips in a red envelope, Honan said.
After becoming the subject of several inquiries, Greco, a longtime Adams ally, resigned last year from her role as the mayor’s liaison to the Asian community. She recently reappeared as a contributor in his reelection campaign.
RELATED STORIES
Honan, the reporter for City Hall, saw Greco on August 20 close to the announcement of the inauguration of Adams’ newest campaign headquarters in Harlem. After the event, Greco texted Honan, whom she saw again, asking to meet next to a TD Bank across the street from the campaign headquarters.
Greco and Honan took a walk to the Whole Foods next door. Greco gave the bag of chips to Honan inside the store, with the top crumpled shut. Honan, mistaking the chips for a small snack, kept telling Greco she couldn’t accept them, but Greco insisted she keep them.
Before leaving, Honan said she opened the bag and discovered a red envelope loaded with cash, including at least one $100 bill and several $20 bills.
READ ALSO: Eric Adams says Trump’s border policies brought ‘real relief’ to NYC
The reporter then called Greco to tell her she couldn’t accept the money and asked if she was still nearby so she could return it. Greco said that she left the area. Greco suggested they meet up in Chinatown at a later time after Honan told her she needed to return the money.
The reporter said she texted Greco, “I can’t take this, when can I give it back to you?” She did not receive a reply.
Later that day, The City questioned Greco as to why she gave the reporter money. In response, she said she had made “a mistake” and apologized repeatedly.
“I make a mistake,” she said. “I’m so sorry. It’s a culture thing. I don’t know. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I feel so bad right now. I’m so sorry, honey.”
She then called the outlet back, advising that they call her attorney, Steven Brill, and adding, “Can we forget about this? I try to be a good person. Please. Please. Please don’t do in the news nothing about me.”
“I just wanted to be her friend,” Greco added. “I just wanted to have one good friend. It’s nothing.”
Brill denied that there was anything suspicious about his client’s payment to Honan.
“I can see how this looks strange,” Brill said. “But I assure you that Winnie’s intent was purely innocent. In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude. Winnie is apologetic and embarrassed by any negative impression or confusion this may have caused.”
After the outlet contacted the Adams campaign about the interaction with Greco, campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro stated that Greco was immediately suspended from the campaign.
“We are shocked by these reports,” Shapiro said. “Winnie Grecco [sic] holds no position in this campaign and has been suspended from all VOLUNTEER campaign-related activities. Mayor Adams had no prior knowledge of this matter. He has always demanded the highest ethical and legal standards, and his sole focus remains on serving the people of New York City with integrity.”
Honan returned to The City’s office after the interaction at Whole Foods and handed over the chip bag and envelope with the money to her editors. The City then contacted the Department of Investigations (DOI). The organization did not open the envelope or count the money inside because it was concerned about potential law enforcement inquiries.
Federal prosecutors from Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella’s office contacted The City’s lawyers, and an investigator retrieved the chip bag with the red envelope and cash that evening.
Since early last year, Greco has been under investigation by the Brooklyn U.S. attorney. This comes after the FBI raided her homes in February 2024 after The City reported on illegal straw donations made at Adams’ campaign fundraisers that she had coordinated.
The DOI is also investigating allegations made by The City that she pressed a campaign volunteer to complete personal errands for her in exchange for a city job.
Greco has been an integral part of Adams’ political career for more than ten years. She has escorted him on several international visits to China and helped him raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for his mayoral campaigns. She has also helped him make connections with key members of the Chinese-American community.
Despite her considerable fundraising efforts, she remained an unpaid volunteer “ambassador” to Brooklyn Borough Hall for the majority of that period, refusing to accept any formal positions for his political campaigns.
She served as a liaison between Adams and groups of campaign donors as part of the fundraising effort; several donors told The City and Documented in 2023 that they either did not donate or that managers compensated them. Contributions made under someone else’s name are prohibited by the city’s public campaign finance program, which gives $8 for every $1 donated by New York City residents.
Greco also served on the board of One Brooklyn, a nonprofit organization that promoted Adams’ programs and enhanced his visibility ahead of his mayoral campaign in 2021.
Over the same years, Greco raised funds for her own nonprofit organization, with the intention of creating a “friendship archway” in Brooklyn’s Chinatown to serve as a gateway for companies and culture. That endeavor, which depended on a Beijing district government gifting an archway, failed, leaving some contributors unclear about their donations.
When Adams was elected mayor in January 2022, she received her first paid government appointment. Greco was appointed his director of Asian relations, earning $100,000, within days of attending his inauguration on a Times Square stage on New Year’s Eve with a select group of close friends. Her niece also secured a position at City Hall, eventually becoming one of the mayor’s schedulers, according to The City.
In November 2023, The City reported on two incidents in which people who interacted with Greco said she had abused her government position.
According to a businessperson, Greco allegedly wanted $10,000 from her Archway foundation for access to a Chinese-themed event with Adams at Gracie Mansion, despite the fact that the event was free.
Additionally, Greco allegedly lived for almost nine months in a two-room suite at a hotel in Queens that was contracted by the city to house people who had previously served time in prison.
At the time, the mayor’s press office and an attorney for the hotel owners told The City that Greco paid for her hotel stay, but they provided no evidence, The City said.
In response to The City’s news coverage, the city’s Department of Investigation launched an investigation in November 2023. In February 2024, the FBI raided Greco’s Bronx home as well as a second residence she had recently purchased. After a few months of medical vacation, she returned to City Hall with a new position and an almost $200,000 pay raise, according to The City.
She resigned from the mayor’s office in October.
