“Mayor Adams engaged in a long-running conspiracy in which he solicited and knowingly accepted illegal campaign contributions from foreign donors and corporations,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said Thursday.
Originally appeared on E! Online
It’s funny and it’s ironic that Sabrina Carpenter could have any involvement in this case.
The “Please Please Please” singer recently joked about how her “Feather” music video scandal may have contributed to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ indictment.
During the 25-year-old’s concert at Madison Square Garden in NYC on Sept. 29, she paused and asked the crowd, “Should we talk about how I got the mayor indicted or …?”
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Adams was charged with bribery and wire fraud scheme that allegedly took place over 10 years, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by NBC News, in which prosecutors allege that Adams had sought and accepted luxury international travel as well as illegal contributions for his 2021 mayoral campaign.
Carpenter’s recent comment alludes to how a scandal surrounding her “Feather” music video possibly contributed to the investigation that led to Adams’ indictment.
The “Taste” singer’s 2023 music video — which saw the singer film several risque scenes inside Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, Brooklyn — scandalized powerful members of the Catholic church upon its release.
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Subsequently, Monsignor Jamie J. Gigantiello — who had approved the video to be filmed in the space but noted he was “not aware” of the video’s inappropriate content — was demoted and stripped of his administrative duties by Bishop Robert Brennan, Gigantiello told the New York Times via email.
The priest’s demotion, which led to a “broader administrative review,” of the parish, the diocese told the New York Post, may have led to a connection made between the parish and Adams. Federal investigators had issued a subpoena Sept. 20 to Gigantiello’s parish due to his business dealings with Adams’ former chief of staff Frank Carone, sources familiar with the matter told NBC New York.
In response to the alleged investigation, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn diocese that oversees the Williamsburg Parish told NBC New York, “The Diocese is fully committed to cooperating with law enforcement in all investigations, including of conduct at individual parishes or involving any priests.”
Carone, for his part, said he was “unaware” of any investigation connected to him, while Gigantiello declined to comment to NBC New York.
Back in 2023, Carpenter had made it clear that she and her team took the proper steps to secure the church for her music video.
“We got approval in advance,” she told Variety of the music video controversy, cheekily adding. “And Jesus was a carpenter.”
