An official who worked in former New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s administration pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal court to bribery, kickback and fraud charges, the Associated Press reported.
Tony Herbert, 61, entered the plea in Manhattan federal court after his arrest. AP said Herbert had served in City Hall as a liaison to the city’s public housing residents.
AP reported that Herbert was released on $50,000 bail.
According to AP, Herbert was accused of giving unfair advantages to certain businesses in return for $16,000 in bribes.
As he left the courthouse, Herbert told reporters, “These charges are bogus. I was doing my job.”
The case comes after a separate federal corruption case against Adams ended last spring, when the Justice Department dropped the case, AP reported. AP also said the controversy over the plan to drop charges led Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, to resign rather than carry it out.
AP reported that Adams dropped out of the election for New York City mayor. He was replaced at the start of this year by Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist.