NEW YORK (AP) — A former aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams is discussing 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.
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.
FILE - Mohamed Bahi, New York City mayor's former liaison to the Muslim community, exits Manhattan Federal Court, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams exits from the US federal court house in New York, Friday, Nov. 01, 2024.(AP Photo/Kena Betancur)
AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday denied a motion by two NASCAR teams — one owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan — to be recognized as chartered teams as they proceed in an antitrust lawsuit against the stock car series and chairman Jim France.
The motion was signed by federal judge Frank Whitney of the United States District Court of Western North Carolina in Charlotte at the exact same time NASCAR executives were giving their annual “State of the Sport” address at Phoenix Raceway.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps opened the address by noting that series officials have not discussed negotiations over charters in the more than two-year process and would not start now.
“I know people are frustrated about that,” Phelps said. "We are not going to negotiate in the media about charters, ever. And we are very happy that 32 of the 36 charters were extended because those were race teams that where the deal that was put on the table for them, the primary big win for the race teams was money.
“I won't go into what the money split looks like, but what I will say is that the amount of money, it now puts the race teams, starting in '25, as the single largest beneficiary of our media deal. And we did that because the race teams were upside down financially.”
The court decision came down just hours before Cup cars hit the track for the first practice session of championship weekend. Tyler Reddick, who drives for the Jordan-owned 23XI Racing, is one of four drivers who is in Sunday's winner-take-all finale at Phoenix.
When the ruling came out and NASCAR was informed as executives sat on the stage at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell quipped: “You can't make it up, for the timing” as he and Phelps declined comment on the injunction.
Jeffrey Kessler, the top antitrust lawyer in the country, indicated after Monday’s hearing in Charlotte that the plaintiffs can immediately appeal the ruling.
“We are pleased with the court's decision to expedite discovery and fast track the schedule in our case against NASCAR,” Kessler said in a statement. "Although we are disappointed that the preliminary injunction was denied without prejudice and as premature, which we intend to appeal, this denial has no bearing on the merits of our case.
“My clients will move forward to race in 2025 and fight for a more fair and equitable system in NASCAR that complies with antitrust laws.”
At issue is that both 23XI and Front Row Motorsports refused to sign a take-it-or-leave-it charter agreement presented to teams by NASCAR in September, just 48 hours before the playoffs began. The offers came after more than two years of negotiations between NASCAR and its teams, and 13 of 15 organizations signed the deal.
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports declined to sign and have accused NASCAR of being “monopolistic bullies” in what is essentially a revenue-sharing agreement between the sanctioning body and its teams.
NASCAR has since rescinded the offers on charter extensions to 23XI and Front Row. Their current charters expire at the end of the calendar year. The teams are free to operate as “open” teams but the lack of chartered protection denies them an equal share of revenue, a guaranteed spot in the field of 38 races and other provisions under the charter agreements.
23XI and Front Row have asked for things to remain status quo as their antitrust case proceeds because the new charters that begin in 2025 prevent teams from suing NASCAR. Kessler asked that the teams be released from that clause for the duration of the lawsuit.
In his ruling, the judge found that Kessler failed to demonstrate that 23XI and Front Row “will face irreparable harm through several avenues.”
Kessler had argued the plaintiffs asserted they will “risk” losing sponsors while competing as open teams because the sponsors “could abandon (them) if they ... do not qualify for all of their races.”
For instance, Kessler said 23XI’s sponsorship agreements require that each sponsored car runs in every Cup Series race, so failure to qualify for a race could reduce the amount of sponsorship money it receives.
The plaintiffs also alleged they will “risk” the loss of their drivers if their cars are not chartered. Kessler said 23XI driver Reddick is permitted to terminate his contract with the team if there is no charter for his car — and he could leave as the reigning Cup champion should he win the title Sunday.
Kessler also argued racing as open teams “could threaten (their) continued existence" as both teams alleged they will lose substantial amounts of revenue without charters. And the plaintiffs alleged they may lose goodwill with fans and sponsors if they fail to qualify for a race.
But Whitney wrote that a plaintiff seeking a preliminary injunction must “demonstrate that irreparable injury is likely in the absence of an injunction" and a showing of the “possibility of irreparable harm” is not sufficient.
Furthermore, Whitney wrote “the required irreparable harm must be neither remote nor speculative, but actual and imminent.” He said “although Plaintiffs have alleged that they will face a risk of irreparable harm, they have not sufficiently alleged present, immediate, urgent irreparable harm, but rather only speculative, possible harm. That is, although Plaintiffs allege they are on the brink of irreparable harm, the 2025 racing season is months away — the stock cars remain in the garage.”
Whitney said “Plaintiffs have not alleged that their business cannot survive without a preliminary injunction. Instead, they allege that their businesses may not survive without a preliminary injunction.”
Whitney found that Kessler did not meet the burden as required for a preliminary injunction, but if circumstances change, plaintiffs may file a renewed motion for a preliminary injunction. The teams were given a deadline of Dec. 2 to respond.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE - Denny Hamlin is introduced before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway, Aug. 18, 2024, in Brooklyn, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
FILE - Tyler Reddick is introduced before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway, Aug. 18, 2024, in Brooklyn, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
FILE - Bob Jenkins, owner of Front Row Motorsports, and Michael Jordan, co-owner of 23XI Racing, pose before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Oct. 6, 2024, in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)
Car owner Michael Jordan watches from the pits during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
