Former Adams aide Tony Herbert arrested on sweeping federal bribery charges
Tony Herbert, a former official in Mayor Eric Adams’ administration and longtime fixture in New York City politics, was arrested by federal authorities Tuesday on sweeping public corruption charges alleging he took bribes and kickbacks during his stints at City Hall.
The Adams associate and perennial political candidate, who was fired from his job last year over a social media post about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, appeared in Manhattan Federal Court hours after his 7:45 a.m. arrest, pleading not guilty to bribery, extortion, wire fraud and related offenses carrying hefty prison terms. Magistrate Judge Stewart Aaron released him on a $50,000 bond and ordered him to reappear in court on Jan. 30.
Herbert, 61, is accused of carrying out two distinct schemes that saw him put a price on his influence at City Hall between October 2022 and May 2025, both when he served in the mayor’s Community Affairs Unit and later as a citywide public housing liaison, responsible for engaging with NYCHA residents on City Hall’s behalf.
In one scheme, he allegedly accepted thousands of dollars under the table to steer city contracts to an unnamed security company, including for work at public housing projects. In the other, the feds say he lined up reimbursements to a funeral home that provided burial services to low-income New Yorkers and shaved some of the proceeds off the top for himself.
https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/01/13/former-adams-aide-tony-herbert-arrested-on-sweeping-federal-bribery-charges-southern-district-manhattan/