Winnie Greco, a senior adviser to Mayor Adams who went on paid sick leave after her Bronx homes were raided by the FBI in February, recently returned to work at City Hall, the Daily News has learned.
Adams spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak said Wednesday the mayor’s team determined last week that Greco could come back to work. Mamelak didn’t explain what prompted that decision.
Greco, who has been a key political fundraiser for Adams since his days as Brooklyn borough president, is now back at her post as his Asian affairs director, reporting directly to Fred Kreizman, the mayor’s community affairs commissioner, Mamelak said.
The feds raided Greco’s two Pelham Bay homes on Feb. 29. Agents were seen leaving with boxes of documents and electronics. She has not been accused of wrongdoing.
After the searches, City Hall announced Greco had gone on paid sick leave due to an unspecified medical condition. At the time, City Hall said Greco would have to go on unpaid leave after her medical absence was over.
Mamelak wouldn’t say if Greco ever went on unpaid leave.
The exact focus of the probe that prompted the Greco raids remains unknown. On the same day as her homes were searched, the feds raided the New World Mall in Queens, where she helped host several fundraisers for Adams’ 2021 campaign that generated tens of thousands of dollars in donations, some of which have been identified as potentially illegal by the news outlet The City.
At the time of the raids, Greco was also facing a Department of Investigation probe into allegations that she had misused municipal resources, including by having a subordinate help renovate her kitchen.
As reported by The News and other outlets, Greco also has ties to China that include serving as a consultant for multiple local groups funded by Beijing’s Communist government.
The probe scrutinizing Greco is one of several looming over Adams’ team.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating allegations that Turkey’s government pumped illegal contributions into Adams’ campaign coffers. FBI agents raided the home of Adams’ top fundraiser and seized his cell phones in November as part of that probe. The mayor has not been accused of wrongdoing.
