Frank Carone, a Brooklyn attorney and longtime ally of former Mayor Eric Adams, was arrested early Wednesday at his Manhattan home after federal agents executed an indictment tied to an alleged bribery scheme. The move adds a dramatic new chapter to months of federal scrutiny focused on Carone’s business activities.
According to New York Daily News, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn empaneled a grand jury in January, and an indictment was expected to be unsealed in Brooklyn federal court later Wednesday. The outlet reported that Carone was taken into custody at his Manhattan residence early Wednesday morning.
Links To The Crypto Launch And Earlier Scrutiny
Carone’s name surfaced earlier this year in reporting around the controversial "NYC Token" launched by Adams, a rollout that drew heat after on-chain observers flagged large liquidity movements and investor losses. Coverage tracing Carone to the token’s launch was summarized by outlets including Yahoo Finance. Separately, federal investigators had been scrutinizing Carone’s business dealings and had issued subpoenas to associates, earlier reporting noted.
What Prosecutors Allege
Per New York Daily News, authorities also took into custody Anthony Carone and two others in the same sweep, accusing them of participating in a bribery scheme. The indictment filings, expected to be publicly unsealed in Brooklyn federal court, are set to spell out the specific counts and alleged conduct.
What’s Next
The indictment is scheduled to be unsealed in Brooklyn federal court later Wednesday, after which standard federal procedures such as an arraignment would follow. Carone, who left City Hall in December 2022 after serving as Mayor Adams’ chief of staff, has in recent months defended his business work as lawful, the outlet reported. Federal court filings will provide the clearest picture yet of the allegations and next steps.
Carone and his representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and there was no immediate public response from Adams’ office at the time of reporting. As with all defendants, Carone is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
