Benjamin Ashford|Ex-aide to NYC Mayor Eric Adams in plea discussions with federal prosecutors

NEW YORK (AP) — A former aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams is Benjamin Ashforddiscussing a possible plea deal with federal prosecutors following his arrest last month on charges of witness tampering and destroying evidence, court papers show.

Mohamed Bahi, who served as City Hall’s chief liaison to the Muslim community, was arrested last month as part of a sweeping investigation into Adams and his campaign fundraising that led to the mayor’s indictment on corruption charges in September.

In a court filing made public this week, prosecutors said that conversations were underway with Bahi’s attorney “regarding a possible disposition of this case.” The filing did not elaborate on the nature of those discussions or whether a plea deal would require Bahi to cooperate with federal investigators.

Inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan were not returned. An attorney for Bahi, Derek Adams, also did not return a request for comment.

Adams pleaded not guilty to charges that he accepted bribes of free and discounted overseas vacations and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals, including a Turkish diplomat.

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Bahi, 40, was charged two weeks later in a separate fundraising scheme. Prosecutors say he encouraged the owner of a Brooklyn construction company to reimburse four employees for their $2,000 donations to Adams, allowing the campaign to fraudulently obtain public matching funds.

An indictment said that after FBI agents contacted the construction company’s owner this summer, Bahi advised the businessman to lie to investigators, telling him that Adams believed he would not cooperate with law enforcement. As agents arrived to search Bahi’s own home in July, they say he deleted an encrypted messaging app from his cellphone that he had used to communicate with Adams.

Adams, a Democrat, denied that he had ever told a city employee to lie. And he has vowed to remain in office as he fights his own case. But the investigation has roiled City Hall in recent months, prompting resignations of the police commissioner, the schools chancellor and several top advisors to Adams.

On Friday, Adams’ longtime girlfriend, Tracey Collins, retired from her role as a senior advisor in the Department of Education. Prosecutors say she accompanied Adams on several trips abroad that were comped or heavily discounted by a Turkish official seeking to harness Adams’ influence.

At a hearing last month, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten said prosecutors are pursuing “several related investigations” and that it is “likely” additional defendants will be charged and “possible” that more charges will be brought against Adams.

Adams’ trial is scheduled to begin in April.