New York City Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright has become the 10th high-level official in Mayor Eric Adams’ administration to resign amid a growing federal probe.
Wright, whose home was searched and her electronics were confiscated last month by federal officials, did not disclose the reason for her departure on Tuesday.
“We are grateful for First Deputy Mayor Wright’s years of service to the city and all she has done to deliver for children, families, and working-class New Yorkers. She is an exceptional leader who assembled a strong team and constantly demonstrated a bold vision for this city,” Adams said in a statement Tuesday.
Mayor Eric Adams, right, is flanked by deputy mayor Sheena Wright, left, during a press conference at City Hall in New York, Dec. 12, 2023.
Peter K. Afriyie/AP, FILE
The mayor was indicted two weeks ago and charged with allegedly engaging in a straw donor scheme and accepting lavish gifts from Turkish nationals in exchange for favors. He has pleaded not guilty.
Deputy mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce, Maria Torres-Springer, will assume Wright’s role, Adams announced Tuesday.
“She has served New Yorkers well over the course of our administration in helping to expand access to child care, deliver free internet access to public housing residents, and battle the scourge of gun violence in our city,” Adams said at a news conference. “We wish her well in all her future endeavors.”
Federal investigators have been looking into several of Adams’ closest allies and administrators for over a year.
Chancellor David Banks embracing his partner Sheena Wright during his announcement to retire at the Bronx School of Law, Government and Justice on Sept. 25, 2024, in New York.
Shawn Inglima/New York Daily News via TNS via Newscom
The FBI searched the home shared by Wright and School Chancellor David Banks, who recently got married, on Sept. 4. The FBI seized evidence, including electronics, as part of the searches, sources told ABC News.
Twenty days later, Banks announced his resignation as school chancellor.
Neither Wright nor Banks have been charged.
Who’s who in the Eric Adams federal investigation
ABC News
Other officials who have resigned and had their devices confiscated by investigators in the last couple of weeks include, Phil Banks III, the school chancellor’s brother and former deputy mayor for public safety, Winnie Greco, a long-time Adams confidant who has worked as the administration’s director of Asian affairs, and former Police Commissioner Edward Caban.
Mohamed Bahi was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly obstructing the investigation into the mayor and his campaign, one day after resigning as the senior liaison in the Adams administration’s community affairs