Mayor Eric Adams says he doesn’t know Yahya Mushtaq and Shahid Mushtaq, but they went to great lengths to help him during his 2021 campaign for mayor.

The brothers, who own a Queens construction safety company, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor conspiracy charge last October for their role in an illegal fundraising scheme.

They funneled contributions to the Adams campaign through company employees in what is known as a straw donor scheme, in the hopes of winning future business from the city.

What You Need To Know

  • Two supporters of Mayor Eric Adams who were involved in an illegal fundraising scheme during his 2021 campaign were sentenced Tuesday
  • Yahya Mushtaq and Shahid Mushtaq pleaded guilty in October to a misdemeanor conspiracy charge for funneling contributions to the campaign through straw donors
  • The brothers avoided jail time, each having already paid a $500 fine and performed 35 hours of community service
  • Separately, Brooklyn preacher Lamor Whitehead was convicted on federal charges Monday, in part for a scheme in which he promised favors from City Hall

At their sentencing Tuesday, they were spared jail time, each having already paid a $500 fine and performed 35 hours of community service.

This is just one of several legal cases with links to the Adams administration.

Brooklyn preacher Lamor Whitehead, nicknamed the “Bling Bishop,” was convicted on federal charges Monday, in part for a scheme in which he promised favors from City Hall, trading on his relationship with the mayor.

But as City Hall officials noted Tuesday, prosecutors said Whitehead was lying about his access and influence.

Adams said Tuesday that he does not remember the last time he had spoken to Whitehead.

“I don’t know what was going on with his investigation. I had no part of it,” Adams said during his weekly off topic press conference with reporters. “The prosecutors indicated that there was no benefits coming from government.”

Then there’s Winnie Greco, a longtime close adviser and fundraiser for the mayor whose homes in the Bronx were raided by FBI agents last month. The exact nature of the investigation is unclear.

Separately, the FBI in December raided the homes of Brianna Suggs, formerly the mayor’s chief campaign fundraiser, and another administration official.

As for the Mushtaq brothers, they were among six people charged last year in a sprawling straw donor scheme.

One of them was former NYPD deputy inspector Dwayne Montgomery, a longtime acquaintance of the mayor. Montgomery pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge.