FDNY commissioner’s firm donated to Mayor Adams’ campaign 6 weeks before appointment

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FDNY commissioner's firm donated to Mayor Adams' campaign 6 weeks before appointment

Six weeks before Mayor Eric Adams made Robert Tucker commissioner of the FDNY, eight employees from Tucker’s security firm donated to Adams’ re-election campaign, records show.

The Campaign Finance Board flagged the June donations because they all came from employees of the same company, on the same day, raising questions about whether someone solicited and raised the money for a campaign. The board requires that candidates disclose these bundlers, or “intermediaries,” so that the public knows who is trying to seek influence with a candidate. There is nothing illegal about serving as an intermediary, but the campaign is required to report who is trying to raise money for a candidate.

Adams is already facing accusations of using illegal straw donations to fuel his 2021 mayoral campaign. As he runs for re-election while battling federal corruption charges and navigating multiple ongoing investigations, fresh questions are emerging about whether a city official tried to boost Adams campaign’s fundraising. The questionable recordkeeping comes to light just days before the Campaign Finance Board is set to announce which mayoral candidates will qualify for the first round of matching funds – a determination that can make or break a campaign. In his last election cycle, Adams boosted his war chest by about $10 million through matching funds.

The donations from employees at T&M USA LLC, where Tucker was CEO, were revealed in records sent to the campaign last month from the Campaign Finance Board, which Gothamist obtained Monday through a Freedom of Information request. The eight donations the board flagged were for $200 each – small enough to qualify for the city’s 8-to-1 match, though some of the donors lived outside the city, disqualifying their contributions from the program.

Board records indicate the donations were all made on June 30, 2024, while Tucker was still the firm’s CEO. Adams appointed Tucker as the FDNY’s new commissioner on Aug. 12.

Gothamist contacted all eight T&M employees whose donations were flagged by the Campaign Finance Board. Six did not respond, one declined to comment and one, current T&M President Michael Mansfield, insisted Tucker played no role in soliciting the donations. He cited Adams’ background in law enforcement to explain the mayor’s support from the security firm, which provides private security services, transportation, event security, cybersecurity and more.

“Everyone knows Eric [Adams] at the firm,” said Mansfield, who succeeded Tucker. “It’s as simple as that — we all donated because we support him.”

Tucker did not respond to Gothamist’s questions about the donations. Neither did spokespeople for Adams and his campaign.

Before his 25 years at T&M, Tucker “spent nearly a decade in law enforcement management” as an assistant to the Queens district attorney, according to his government biography. While he often talks about chasing fire trucks as a kid, he has no previous experience working for the fire department, but he served for nearly a decade on the board of the FDNY Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises money for the agency.

He also has close ties to the NYPD. Tucker was on the board of the New York City Police Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm that supports the NYPD, until his appointment to the FDNY.

On the same day the T&M donations came in, members of the NYPD made 10 donations of $250 each – which the Board also flagged on a separate report. Donations all made on the same day can indicate that there was a fundraiser, or that an individual otherwise solicited donations for a campaign. Both the campaign and the person bundling donations for the campaign are required to complete paperwork to make that relationship transparent. The board also flagged six more $250 donations from police on July 11, 2024.

Tucker did not not respond to a request for comment about the donations. FDNY spokesperson Amanda Farinacci declined to answer whether Tucker organized a fundraiser or solicited contributions for Adams, but said he supports candidates who prioritize “public safety.”

“As a private citizen, Robert Tucker had been a strong supporter of candidates for public office across the country who shared his passion for public safety. That is well documented by public records,” said Farinacci.

Tucker has not contributed to Adams’ mayoral campaigns, according to finance records. Ahead of the 2021 Democratic primary, he gave $2,000 and $1,000, respectively, to Adams’ opponents Scott Stringer and Ray McGuire. Last year, Tucker also gave $120 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $2,500 to New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer and $500 to a California Democratic congressional candidate who finished last in a crowded primary, according to FEC records.

Vito Pitta, an attorney for the Adams campaign, did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the campaign finance records, including whether Tucker served as an intermediary for the campaign. City Hall also did not respond to a request for comment.

Issues with the campaign’s fundraising reporting were repeatedly a problem during Adams’ 2021 campaign. While the campaign raised nearly $20 million for his first mayoral run, including $10 million in public matching funds, it only reported four intermediaries. With Adams’ 2024 re-election effort well underway – and a federal criminal case accusing Adams of soliciting illegal foreign donations – the Campaign Finance Board is still struggling to get a full picture of his 2021 fundraising operation.

“This is the same old story,” said Councilmember Lincoln Restler, chair of the government operations committee and an outspoken critic of the administration. “Mayor Adams is failing to report who is raising money on his behalf.”

At a Council hearing last week, Restler urged the Campaign Finance Board to deny Adams any additional public matching funds. Speaking to Gothamist on Monday, he raised questions about Tucker’s appointment as FDNY chief given his lack of operational and management experience in the department.

“To find out that there may have been bundled donations just weeks before his appointment certainly raises eyebrows,” Restler said.

The Campaign Finance Board recently made a set of rule changes that will give it more power to withhold matching funds from candidates that fail to respond to requests for information, like those in the most recent records obtained by Gothamist. But the rules do not take effect until after the first payment decision next week.

Adams has appointed several people who helped raise money for his campaign to key administration positions during his three years in office, though most had long ties to the mayor.

Former Deputy Mayors Phil Banks and Sheena Wright and former Schools Chancellor David Banks, Wright’s partner, all hosted fundraisers for the mayor’s 2021 campaign. The Banks family has deep ties to Adams through their father, whom Adams has referred to as a mentor early in his policing career. Former top aide Winnie Greco, who helped Adams connect with donors in the city’s Chinese community, has faced scrutiny from prosecutors for her fundraising tactics.

The FDNY, meanwhile, has played a central role in two scandals dogging Adams since he took office, including an accusation at the core of his criminal indictment.

Federal prosecutors say Adams pressured then-Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro in September 2021 to overlook safety concerns at a Turkish consulate building so it could open in time for a visit by that country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after Turkish officials and businesspeople plied him with luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions.

Adams, who was not yet mayor at the time of the alleged quid pro quo, has denied any wrongdoing.

Emails obtained by Gothamist also show City Hall instructing fire safety inspectors to fast-track reviews at projects owned by campaign donors and megadevelopers, at times cancelling other scheduled inspections for schools and smaller apartment buildings to accommodate the more politically connected.

The priority projects were spelled out on a list. That list led to yet another scandal, though not one involving Adams. Prosecutors accused two former fire chiefs of slipping other projects onto the list and speeding up inspections after receiving kickbacks from expediters working for building owners. One of the two men pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge earlier this year.

On Monday, the Campaign Finance Board will announce which candidates will receive the first round of matching funds.

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