Ex-Adams official Anthony Herbert pleads not guilty to bribery, city contract and funeral fraud charges

Anthony Herbert, a former senior official in former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges accusing him of running multiple bribery, kickback, and fraud schemes while serving in City Hall.

Herbert, 61, of Brooklyn, was arraigned Jan. 13 in federal court in Manhattan after prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging him with using his position in the Mayor’s Office to enrich himself through pay-to-play arrangements and a fraudulent COVID-era loan application.

Herbert was arrested earlier in the day and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges.

“Mr. Herbert is looking forward to having his day in court to respond to the allegations,” Herbert’s attorney, Richard Washington, told amNewYork.

Federal prosecutors allege that Herbert, who worked in the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit from February 2022 through September 2025, repeatedly abused his role while serving first as Brooklyn Borough Director and later as Citywide Public Housing Liaison. In that latter position, Herbert acted as City Hall’s point person with residents and the leadership of the city’s Housing Authority.

Herbert was fired from the Adams administration in September after posting a Facebook meme criticizing Charlie Kirk following the right-wing activist’s fatal shooting in Utah.

Herbert attended former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s election night party on Nov.4, where he told amNewYork that there was no bad blood over his firing, saying, “It is what it is. I own up to my responsibility of understanding that there are policies that have to be followed. It was just bad timing.”

He is the latest alum of the Adams era to be charged over alleged corruption. Mohamed Bahi, who served as Adams’ senior liaison to the Muslim community from 2022 to 2024, pleaded guilty to federal charges on Aug. 12 after he was accused of orchestrating an unlawful donation scheme to secure matching funds for the former mayor’s 2021 campaign. During the same month, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg hit Adams’ former chief adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin with a slew of fresh corruption charges – separate from her still-pending bribery and conspiracy indictment that was filed in late 2024.

Two separate schemes

According to the indictment, Herbert engaged in two separate corruption schemes. In one, prosecutors say he solicited and received thousands of dollars in cash from a security company executive in exchange for pressuring other city officials to award the executive’s company contracts, including work at NYCHA developments.

In a second scheme, Herbert allegedly pushed city officials to approve burial assistance payments under a program for low-income families to a funeral home director. Prosecutors say Herbert then received kickbacks from the proceeds of those publicly funded payments.

In total, investigators allege Herbert accepted approximately $16,000 in bribes and kickbacks. The indictment also accuses Herbert of filing false financial disclosure forms with the city to conceal the payments.

Herbert is accused of soliciting cash and kickbacks while pushing city contracts and burial assistance payments for personal gain, according to federal prosecutorsPhoto by Dean Moses

Separately, prosecutors allege that in April 2021, before his employment at City Hall, Herbert submitted a fraudulent loan application for $20,418 under the federal Paycheck Protection Program, claiming to operate a nonexistent business that sold baked goods.

Herbert is charged with two counts of bribery, honest services wire fraud, federal program fraud, extortion under color of official right, and wire fraud. The charges carry potential maximum sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years, though any sentence would be determined by a judge if Herbert is convicted.

In a statement issued on Tuesday following his arrest, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the case reflects a commitment to holding public officials accountable who abuse positions of trust.

“New Yorkers deserve honest and competent public officials,” said Clayton. “As alleged, at a time when Anthony Herbert was serving as City Hall’s liaison to the City’s public housing residents, he engaged in blatant pay-to-play schemes to enrich himself.

Evidence cited by prosecutors

Federal prosecutors say their case relies heavily on recorded calls, text messages, and financial records gathered while a security company executive was cooperating with law enforcement.

In those communications, Herbert allegedly tied his behind-the-scenes outreach to city officials directly to requests for money. In one text message cited in the indictment, Herbert pressed the executive for payment, writing, “I meant to ask if u still can help out.”

The indictment also includes messages prosecutors say show Herbert’s awareness that his conduct could draw scrutiny. In a separate exchange, Herbert cautioned that he needed to be careful in how he operated, writing, “I just have to be careful how I do it so it doesn’t raise eyebrows.”

Prosecutors further allege that Herbert coached the executive on how to avoid exposing Herbert’s role while pursuing city business. In a recorded conversation, Herbert allegedly advised the executive, “You don’t have to say nothing about helping out the mayor or nothing like that,” while discussing an upcoming meeting with senior city officials.

Photo by Dean Moses

According to court filings, Herbert also portrayed himself as having influence over contracting decisions, telling the executive in a recorded exchange that key officials “control that shit” and that “[the Mayor] is gonna tell them what to do.”

In the separate funeral home scheme, prosecutors cite messages and emails showing Herbert actively intervened in the burial assistance process while concealing information that could have reduced city payments.

After the funeral home director received city reimbursement checks, Herbert allegedly referenced his expected share of the proceeds and later accepted a $5,000 check labeled “referrals,” which prosecutors say represented a kickback.