Frank Carone, a former chief of staff to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has utilized his luxury Boca Raton, Florida, residence to post a $2 million bond following his arrest on federal fraud and bribery charges. The 56-year-old was taken into custody on Wednesday and released under strict conditions that limit his travel to New York and Florida.
Carone is accused of accepting approximately $120,000 in bribes from a Queens hotelier, Yan Po Zhu, in exchange for assisting Zhu in securing a $6.825 million city contract to operate a migrant shelter. Prosecutors allege that Carone leveraged his position within City Hall to help Zhu obtain the contract for his Long Island City Microtel Inn, despite the property having been previously rejected for being too small and located near another shelter.
According to court documents, Zhu allegedly developed a personal relationship with Carone and his brother, Anthony Carone, inviting them to his home on multiple occasions. Following these visits, monthly payments of $10,000 allegedly began flowing to Frank Carone from an account at his brother's law firm, while Zhu simultaneously paid Anthony Carone the same amount through purported retainer agreements. This money was allegedly used by Frank Carone to cover personal expenses, including credit card bills for dining, travel, memberships, and groceries.
The alleged bribery scheme reportedly concluded in September 2023. As a grand jury investigation into the matter intensified in spring 2024, prosecutors claim that Carone and his associates attempted to conceal their actions. They allegedly tried to disguise the bribe payments as loans, even creating a backdated promissory note from 2022.
Further allegations detail attempts by Zhu and his hotel business manager, Crystal Chen, to obstruct the investigation in 2025. When investigators sought to access Zhu's phone using facial recognition, he allegedly covered his face and waved his hands. Chen, meanwhile, reportedly feigned forgetfulness regarding her phone's passcode, entering incorrect passwords multiple times before eventually unlocking the device after being confronted by agents.
Both Frank and Anthony Carone, along with Zhu and Chen, face charges including conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, federal program bribery, honest services wire fraud, obstruction of justice, and subscribing to a false tax return. Each defendant could face up to 20 years in prison.
Carone's attorney, Arthur Aidala, has denied the charges, describing the indictment as a "Frankenstein indictment." Aidala stated that Carone "had nothing to do with who was getting these, these assignments to where the migrants were going to stay. He was just doing his job as the chief of staff." Aidala also referenced the administration's efforts to manage the migrant crisis.
Frank Carone himself declined to comment extensively on the charges when leaving the Brooklyn federal courthouse but remarked on his immediate plans, stating, "I’m just hoping I have a nice dinner tonight."