Adams Ally Caught Handing Reporter Cash Hidden In Potato Chip Bag

A longtime confidante of Mayor Eric Adams attempted to give money to a reporter from The City on Wednesday after a reelection event in Harlem, the news outlet reported.

The alleged bribe involved a red envelope of cash hidden inside a bag of Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion potato chips. The money was handed over by Winnie Greco, a former City Hall aide and close Adams ally who resigned last year following multiple investigations. Despite stepping down, she has reemerged as an active figure in the mayor’s reelection campaign.

City Hall reporter Katie Honan first noticed Greco at Adams’ campaign office opening in Harlem. Later that evening, Greco asked her to meet across the street near a TD Bank, and the two walked together to a nearby Whole Foods.

Inside the store, Greco gave Honan the opened bag of chips. Honan declined the snack several times, but Greco insisted she keep it. When Honan opened the bag before entering the subway, she discovered an envelope containing cash, including $100 and $20 bills.

Honan immediately called Greco to return the money, but Greco said she had already left the area. The reporter texted again: “I can’t take this, when can I give it back to you?” but received no reply.

When asked later about her actions, Greco admitted to making “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.”

Greco later urged The City to call her attorney, Steven Brill, pleading, “Can we forget about this? I try to be a good person. Please. Please. Please don’t do in the news nothing about me.” She also said, “I just wanted to be her friend. I just wanted to have one good friend. It’s nothing.”

Brill defended his client, saying the gesture was not meant as a bribe. “I can see how this looks strange,” he 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.”

Following notification from The City, Adams’ campaign suspended Greco. “We are shocked by these reports,” said campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro. “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.”

After Honan brought the bag and envelope to The City’s office, editors turned it over to the city Department of Investigation (DOI). “DOI received allegations from The City and declines further comment,” spokesperson Diane Struzzi confirmed.

That evening, federal prosecutors from Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella’s office contacted The City and later retrieved the bag and cash.

Greco has been under federal investigation since 2024, when the FBI raided her Bronx homes following revelations that she helped organize campaign fundraisers involving illegal straw donations. She has also been accused of pressuring a volunteer to do personal work for her in exchange for help securing a city job.

Greco has long been a fixture in Adams’ political orbit, raising significant funds for his campaigns, connecting him with donors in the Chinese-American community, and accompanying him on trips abroad. Over the years, she also spearheaded fundraising for nonprofits tied to Adams’ initiatives, including a failed “friendship archway” project in Brooklyn’s Chinatown that left donors questioning what happened to their money.

After Adams became mayor in 2022, Greco was appointed director of Asian affairs with a $100,000 salary. Her close ties to the mayor’s inner circle were well-known, with Adams’ senior advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin — now facing her own corruption case — introducing her at events as “my sister.”

By late 2023, allegations mounted that Greco had misused her government position, including demanding donations for her nonprofit as a price of entry to an Adams event and coercing a campaign volunteer to work on her home renovations. She also lived for months at a Queens hotel contracted to house formerly incarcerated individuals, an arrangement never fully explained.

In February 2024, FBI agents raided her homes, and she eventually resigned from City Hall in October after briefly returning with an increased salary of nearly $200,000.