A former advisor to Mayor Eric Adams tried slipping a reporter cash inside a potato chip bag, raising eyebrows about integrity in New York City’s political circles, as THE CITY reports.
Winnie Greco, once a key figure in Adams’ administration, offered reporter Katie Honan money in a red envelope tucked inside a bag of Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion chips after a Harlem campaign event. This bizarre incident unfolded as Greco, recently sidelined by investigations, clung to relevance in Adams’ re-election bid. The audacity of the move reeks of desperation to curry favor.
Greco, who resigned as Adams’ Asian affairs liaison in October 2024, has been dogged by probes into her conduct, including FBI raids on her homes in February 2024. Her attempt to hand Honan cash came after a campaign office opening in Harlem, where she texted the reporter to meet near a TD Bank. The optics of a city insider resorting to such tactics are, frankly, pathetic.
At a nearby Whole Foods, Greco handed Honan the crumpled chip bag, insisting she keep it despite Honan’s refusals. Honan, thinking it was just a snack, later found the red envelope stuffed with at least one $100 bill and several $20s. Greco’s clumsy attempt at influence peddling could hardly be more blatant.
Honan immediately called Greco to return the money, but Greco, claiming she’d left the area, suggested a later meeting in Chinatown. When Honan texted, “I can’t take this, when can I give it back to you?” Greco ghosted her. Dodging accountability seems to be Greco’s go-to move.
Greco later pleaded ignorance, saying, “I make a mistake. I’m so sorry. It’s a culture thing.” Her excuse of cultural misunderstanding sounds like a convenient dodge for someone steeped in political maneuvering. The “culture thing” line insults anyone who values transparency over flimsy justifications.
“I just wanted to be her friend,” Greco whined, claiming the cash was a gesture of goodwill. Her attorney, Steven Brill, doubled down, insisting it was a harmless Chinese tradition. If handing out cash in chip bags is a tradition, it belongs in a courtroom, not City Hall.
Brill admitted the incident “looks strange” but swore Greco’s intent was “purely innocent.” The idea that a seasoned political operative didn’t know better stretches credulity. This isn’t naivety; it’s a calculated risk gone wrong.
THE CITY, refusing to play along, returned the chip bag and envelope to their office and alerted the city’s Department of Investigation. Federal prosecutors from the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office, already investigating Greco since early 2024, retrieved the cash that same evening. The swift response shows law enforcement isn’t buying Greco’s sob story.
The Adams campaign, scrambling to distance itself, suspended Greco from all volunteer activities on Wednesday. Campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro called the reports “shocking” and insisted Adams had no prior knowledge. Yet, Greco’s long history with Adams raises questions about who’s minding the store.
Greco’s troubles began long before the chip bag fiasco. In November 2023, THE CITY exposed allegations that she demanded $10,000 for her nonprofit’s failed “friendship archway” project as a ticket to a Gracie Mansion event. Such pay-to-play schemes erode public trust faster than a progressive policy lecture.
The Department of Investigation also probed claims that Greco pressured a campaign volunteer to handle personal tasks, like renovating her Bronx home, in exchange for a city job. This pattern of leveraging influence for personal gain paints Greco as less a public servant and more a political opportunist. The stench of corruption lingers.
Greco’s decade-long role in Adams’ political machine included raising hundreds of thousands for his campaigns and linking him to the Chinese-American community. Appointed Asian affairs director in 2022 with a $100,000 salary, she even secured a city job for her niece. Nepotism and cash-stuffed chip bags -- hardly the hallmarks of good governance.
Despite FBI raids and a medical leave, Greco returned to City Hall with a cushy $200,000 role before resigning in October 2024. Her brief stint living in a Queens hotel under a city contract for ex-inmates, with no proof she paid her way, only deepens the scandal. Adams’ inner circle seems more like a revolving door of questionable ethics.
Ingrid-Lewis Martin, another Adams advisor facing bribery charges, called Greco “my sister,” tying their fates together. With Martin’s indictment looming on August 21, 2025, and Greco’s chip bag blunder, Adams’ team looks like a magnet for trouble. New Yorkers deserve better than this parade of political missteps.
