Frank Carone, who served as the chief of staff to former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has been arrested and charged with accepting more than $100,000 in bribes to steer a migrant shelter contract to a Queens hotel, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday, as per AP.
Here’s who he is and what we know about him.
Who is Frank Carone?
Frank Carone is a longtime Brooklyn power broker who is widely credited as one of the architects of Eric Adams’ political rise. He played a key role in Adams’ campaign for mayor in 2021 and served as Adams’ chief of staff in 2022. In 2023, he formed a political consulting firm.
He also was a one-time lawyer for the Brooklyn Democratic Party, as per AP.
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5 things to know about him:
- Frank Carone is best known to the public for his connection to a controversy where a Brooklyn pastor lost his duties, partly for letting pop star Sabrina Carpenter shoot a provocative music video inside his church, as per AP.
- His church was later subpoenaed by federal investigators who wanted information about business dealings between Carone and Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, the priest who had approved the video.
- Between 2019 and 2021, the Jamie transferred $1.9 million in parish funds to bank accounts linked to Carone, as per WPIX.
- Carone’s law firm later repaid $1 million of that money, along with about 9% interest, according to Brennan.
- He was also investigated back in 2024 over his possible dealings with the same priest from the Williamsburg, Brooklyn church.
