New York City Mayor Eric Adams denied knowledge that a former top aide and campaign volunteer attempted to give a reporter cash hidden inside a bag of potato chips.
On its website, The City newspaper said Winnie Greco handed reporter Katie Honan the opened bag of Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion potato chips.
Inside was a red envelope stuffed with cash, according to The City.
The outlet, which stated it did not open the envelope or count the money, reported the incident to the city Department of Investigation. The DOI did not comment to The City.
Adams’ campaign said Greco, who resigned as the mayor’s liaison to the Asian community last year, did not have a position with the campaign.
Since she resigned as Adams’ director of Asian affairs last fall, Greco has occasionally been seen at Adams campaign events. Before her resignation, Greco had served as Adams’ longtime liaison with the city’s Chinese American community. She was also a prolific fundraiser for Adams’ campaigns.
In February of 2024, federal agents searched two properties belonging to Greco. Authorities didn’t explain what the investigation was about, and Greco has not been charged with committing a crime, but she was a number of close aides to Adams who resigned or were fired amid the federal scrutiny.
Following the alleged potato chip incident, Greco has been suspended from volunteer campaign activities, the campaign said.
A campaign spokesman told The City that Adams was not aware of Greco’s attempted payoff to the reporter.
“We are shocked by these reports,” the spokesman said. “Winnie Grecco [sic] holds no position in this campaign and has been suspended from all VOLUNTEER campaign-related activities. Mayor Adams had no prior knowledge of this matter. He has always demanded the highest ethical and legal standards, and his sole focus remains on serving the people of New York City with integrity.”
Greco told The City that she made a “mistake” and that the cash-filled envelope inside the potato chip bag was “a culture thing.”
She then told the outlet to contact her attorney, Steven Brill.
“I can see how this looks strange,” Brill told The City. “But I assure you that Winnie’s intent was purely innocent. In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude. Winnie is apologetic and embarrassed by any negative impression or confusion this may have caused.”
Tainted by scandal, Adams is running for re-election as an independent. He will face Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in the November election.
A separate federal investigation into Adams led to a 2024 indictment accusing the mayor of accepting illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts from a Turkish official and others — and returning the favors by, among other things, helping Turkey open a diplomatic building without passing fire inspections.
A federal judge dismissed the case in April after the Justice Department ordered prosecutors to drop the charges, arguing that the case was interfering with the mayor’s ability to aid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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