A Queens hotel owner at the center of an Adams-era bribery case just won court approval to catch the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey later this month, even as he fights a sweeping federal indictment.
Yan Po Zhu, who owns a Long Island City hotel that became a migrant shelter, remains under tight pretrial supervision while contesting a 13-count federal indictment that accuses him of helping steer a multimillion-dollar shelter contract to his property.
The Brooklyn indictment names Zhu along with former Eric Adams chief of staff Frank Carone, Carone’s brother Anthony, and hotel manager Crystal Chen. All four pleaded not guilty at arraignment. Prosecutors say Zhu and Chen routed roughly $120,000 through Anthony Carone’s law firm to benefit Frank Carone and that the Microtel hotel ultimately received about $6.825 million under an emergency shelter contract, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York. Federal filings describe a trail of text messages, emails and financial records that prosecutors say map out the scheme.
Judge Allows World Cup Trip
At a recent hearing before U.S. District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto, Zhu’s lawyers asked for permission for their client to attend the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19. The judge signed off, but only with strict reporting and monitoring rules attached, as reported by Gothamist. Matsumoto also penciled in a tentative trial date of Aug. 24, 2026, the outlet noted.
Prosecutors Lay Out The Scheme
According to federal prosecutors, the alleged payments were hidden behind a sham retainer agreement, then used to cover Frank Carone’s personal expenses. They argue the Microtel contract went through even after Department of Social Services reviewers flagged the hotel as unsuitable for emergency shelter. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has pushed for strict bail terms in filings that describe deleted text messages, fabricated documents and obstruction of justice. Reporting by Documented adds detail on Zhu’s business footprint in Long Island City and neighborhood resistance to the shelter plan.
Discovery, Bail Terms And The Trip
Both sides warned the court that the case will generate an enormous amount of evidence. Prosecutors told the judge they expect to turn over about 4 terabytes of material, leaving defense teams to comb through millions of pages, according to Gothamist.
Zhu was released on a multimillion-dollar secured bond, with electronic monitoring and other conditions that require advance coordination for any travel, including the World Cup outing. The championship match is set for MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, which is hosting the July 19 World Cup final. Tickets for that game are already drawing steep resale prices, and the event details are posted by stadium operator MetLife Stadium.
Legal Implications
The defendants are charged with federal program bribery, wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction, counts that could add up to decades in prison if they are convicted. Prosecutors argue that the alleged obstruction and cover-up efforts make the case especially serious, while defense attorneys insist the indictment is legally flawed and say they will challenge it at trial, according to reporting from The Washington Post.
With a tentative trial date on the books, an avalanche of discovery ahead and a high-profile World Cup appearance now woven into the pretrial schedule, the Brooklyn federal case is poised to stay on the local radar as lawyers on both sides gear up for months of document review and legal sparring.
