You might have read about the Chinese government-run police station that operated in Lower Manhattan from early 2022 until a raid by the FBI later that year — and the arrests of two men who are alleged to have run it. The proceedings in the case will continue later this month.
Yesterday, I brought to light a detail about the situation that had previously been overlooked: Senior officials in the administration of New York City mayor Eric Adams went on a trip to Fujian, China, in 2019 with Harry Lu, one of the defendants.
At the time, Adams was Brooklyn Borough president. Winnie Greco and Jesse Hamilton, the two figures on the trip — which they presented as a delegation representing the borough government — were among his closest political allies. In 2022, they took senior roles in city government.
It’s worth noting that Adams had received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Harry Lu’s brother, Jimmy Lu, during his run for mayor. Both brothers held leadership positions in the nonprofit group that hosted the Chinese police station in its office in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Shortly after Harry Lu’s arrest in April, City Hall said Adams would return the money and that he doesn’t know either of the Lu brothers.
Last week, City Hall did not answer my questions about why the Adams administration declined to disclose the fact that senior NYC officials knew one of the defendants in the case or where funding for the 2019 trip came from. It also did not say whether Adams directed his allies to add Lu to the delegation or specify the last time Greco or Hamilton were in contact with Lu. But an Adams spokesperson did tell me that it is “nothing short of fearmongering, unfounded and only contributes to unwarranted prejudice towards the Asian community” to report on Greco.
For the full story, and the Adams team’s full response to my reporting, click here.