New York City Mayor Adams’ top legal adviser Lisa Zornberg resigned late Saturday, a high-level departure that comes as City Hall is grappling with the fallout from a federal investigation which has captured a number of the mayor’s closest advisers, the Daily News has learned,
No reason was given for the resignation in a statement from Adams.
“We appreciate all the work Lisa has done for our administration and, more importantly, the city over the past 13 months,” the statement read, posted online by WPIX-11. “These are hard jobs and we don’t expect anyone to stay in them forever. We wish Lisa the best of luck in her future endeavours. The other senior members of the legal team will remain in their roles to ensure the office continues to operate fully without disruption, and we expect to appoint an acting chief legal officer in the coming days.”
Zornberg is a key member of the Adams administration, and she leaves amid a turbulent period in Adams’ tenure.
Five senior administration officials – former police commissioner Edward Caban, deputy mayors Philip Banks and Sheena Wright, schools chancellor David Banks and senior mayoral adviser Timothy Pearson had their phones seized last week by federal agents as part of a corruption investigation.
Sources say James Caban, the twin brother of Edward Caban, is under investigation by the FBI for using his family ties to set up security deals. The business dealings of Terence Banks, brother of Phil and David, are also being investigated by federal authorities, the Daily News has learned
No one has been charged with a crime, but Caban resigned as the city’s top cop Thursday and a City Hall employee was fired after a TV report aired linking him to James Caban.
The probe is the latest legal headache for Adams, whose 2021 campaign also faces a federal investigation into alleged ties to Turkey. The mayor has also been accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual harassment; he has vigorously denied the allegations.
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