A former staff member for the mayor has been hit with charges related to two alleged pay-to-play schemes, amidst continuing controversies. Tony Herbert, who worked as the public housing liaison under Mayor Eric Adams, reportedly accepted $11,000 in cash from a security firm exec, pushing for NYCHA contracts to be awarded to his own company, as detailed in documents released in Manhattan federal court.
In another incident, he allegedly facilitated the city’s approval of $24,000 for low-income funeral services but then took a $5,000 kickback from the funeral home, according to the indictment.
Herbert, now 61, also faces charges for supposedly securing a $20,000 loan through the federal Paycheck Protection Program for a fictitious cake business. He worked in Adams’ community affairs department from February 2022 until his termination in September 2025, a firing that followed his controversial remarks regarding Charlie Kirk’s passing.
On Tuesday, Herbert was set to make his initial court appearance in Manhattan to address six counts of bribery and loan fraud.
This indictment arrives shortly after the previous indictment of Adams’ aide, Ingrid Lewis Martin, in August for separate bribery charges. Additionally, there was a situation where Adams himself faced allegations of extorting over $120,000 in bribes linked to supporting the opening of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan, but that case was unexpectedly dropped by the Justice Department at the instruction of Trump’s administration.
