Frank Carone, the former chief of staff to ex-Mayor Eric Adams and one of the most connected lawyers in Brooklyn Democratic politics, was arrested this morning by the FBI on federal bribery charges. He was taken into custody at his Manhattan home, and he and the other defendants are set to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Downtown Brooklyn.
Three other individuals were also arrested Wednesday morning: Carone’s younger brother and business partner Anthony Carone, Yan Po Zhu, a hotel owner in Queens, and Crystal Chen, an employee of Zhu. The charges Carone is set to face reportedly include bribery and fraud that stem from an alleged scheme involving a migrant shelter contract. The indictment is expected to be made public later today.
Now, as for Carone’s legal credentials, because, after all, this is a legal publication and a lawyer getting arrested is very much our beat: he received his Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School, graduating at the top of his class, and was recognized with the award for American Jurisprudence in Legal Ethics. He’s also a cum laude graduate of St. John’s University and a former U.S. Marine. After a one-year break to help Adams assemble his administrative team, Carone returned to Abrams Fensterman in early 2023 as of counsel.
But, if you head over to abramslaw.com right now looking for his attorney bio, you will find nothing. The page has already been scrubbed. The internet, however, remembers: Carone had led Abrams Fensterman’s Brooklyn office since 2011, transforming it into what the firm described as the largest legal practice in the borough. A bio page vanishing the morning of a federal arrest is its own kind of statement.
As for his defense, attorney Arthur Aidala came out swinging. Aidala said the indictment was “weak” and “based on purely circumstantial evidence that’s not worth the paper upon which it’s printed,” adding that after years of investigation, “all the government was able to come up with” was this case. He said the defense looks “forward to appearing before a jury and obtaining a swift acquittal.”
A spokesperson for Adams said Carone “has dedicated decades of his life to public service, the legal profession and helping countless individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations throughout New York.” Adams, of course, knows something about federal indictments himself — his own bribery case was ultimately quashed by the Trump DOJ as part of what prosecutors described as a highly controversial political arrangement.
All four defendants are expected in Brooklyn federal court this afternoon.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Bluesky @Kathryn1
The post Brooklyn Lawyer/ Eric Adams Powerbroker Arrested By FBI appeared first on Above the Law.
Frank Carone, the former chief of staff to ex-Mayor Eric Adams and one of the most connected lawyers in Brooklyn Democratic politics, was arrested this morning by the FBI on federal bribery charges. He was taken into custody at his Manhattan home, and he and the other defendants are set to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Downtown Brooklyn.
Three other individuals were also arrested Wednesday morning: Carone’s younger brother and business partner Anthony Carone, Yan Po Zhu, a hotel owner in Queens, and Crystal Chen, an employee of Zhu. The charges Carone is set to face reportedly include bribery and fraud that stem from an alleged scheme involving a migrant shelter contract. The indictment is expected to be made public later today.
Now, as for Carone’s legal credentials, because, after all, this is a legal publication and a lawyer getting arrested is very much our beat: he received his Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School, graduating at the top of his class, and was recognized with the award for American Jurisprudence in Legal Ethics. He’s also a cum laude graduate of St. John’s University and a former U.S. Marine. After a one-year break to help Adams assemble his administrative team, Carone returned to Abrams Fensterman in early 2023 as of counsel.
But, if you head over to abramslaw.com right now looking for his attorney bio, you will find nothing. The page has already been scrubbed. The internet, however, remembers: Carone had led Abrams Fensterman’s Brooklyn office since 2011, transforming it into what the firm described as the largest legal practice in the borough. A bio page vanishing the morning of a federal arrest is its own kind of statement.
As for his defense, attorney Arthur Aidala came out swinging. Aidala said the indictment was “weak” and “based on purely circumstantial evidence that’s not worth the paper upon which it’s printed,” adding that after years of investigation, “all the government was able to come up with” was this case. He said the defense looks “forward to appearing before a jury and obtaining a swift acquittal.”
A spokesperson for Adams said Carone “has dedicated decades of his life to public service, the legal profession and helping countless individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations throughout New York.” Adams, of course, knows something about federal indictments himself — his own bribery case was ultimately quashed by the Trump DOJ as part of what prosecutors described as a highly controversial political arrangement.
All four defendants are expected in Brooklyn federal court this afternoon.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Bluesky @Kathryn1
