NYC mayoral aide charged with evidence tampering

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday charged a former New York City mayoral aide, Mohamed Bahi, with destroying evidence and tampering with witnesses. The charges against Bahi are merely accusations and he must be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the DOJ noted.

Is the mayor’s office involved? The alleged illegal behavior occurred at a fundraiser Bahi set up for an unspecified mayoral candidate who was running for office in 2021, the DOJ said. While New York City Mayor Eric Adams was not mentioned by name in the criminal complaint against Bahi, he was running for office in 2021. Adams currently faces corruption charges, although he has pleaded not guilty and vehemently denied wrongdoing.

What is the DOJ accusing Bahi of, specifically? At the fundraiser, Bahi allegedly helped a businessman set up straw donations using the names of four employees from the businessman’s construction company, the DOJ said. Straw donations violate federal law in some circumstances, according to the Justice Department. Once the FBI began an investigation into the straw contributions, Bahi allegedly met with the businessman and the four straw donor employees. The DOJ alleges that he instructed them to lie to the FBI about the donations.

Later, when FBI agents executed a warrant on Bahi’s home, they found a phone on his person. Investigators said that on the day of the raid—but before agents seized the phone—they discovered someone had deleted the Signal messaging app from his cell phone. When agents asked him later if he deleted the app, Bahi admitted that he did so, according to the criminal complaint. The DOJ also alleges that he lied to agents about whether or not he used the app overseas.

Dig deeper: Read my report about the indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams last month.