Trial date set for corruption case against former Mayor Adams' chief of staff Frank Carone

The judge overseeing the corruption case of a former top aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams scheduled the trial to begin on Aug. 24 during a hearing in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday — even as she acknowledged that date is unrealistic, given the complexity of the case.

But one of the lawyers for Adams' former chief of staff Frank Carone said the government’s case is weak and the defense is eager to go to trial "as soon as humanly possible."

"The government spent two and a half years digging into every aspect of our client’s life, and they ultimately came forward with the indictment that was filed last week," attorney Andrew Goldstein told reporters outside the Brooklyn federal courthouse after Wednesday’s hearing. "It is 27 pages long, but it has glaring holes."

Carone was arrested on June 24 for allegedly accepting $120,000 in bribes to steer a $6.8 million city contract to a hotel owner from Long Island to house foreign migrants. Carone, 57, a prominent New York City lawyer and longtime political kingmaker, pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court hours after his arrest to bribery, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges, among others.

Carone's brother, Anthony Carone, of Queens, who also is an attorney; Yan Po Zhu, a Queens hotel owner who lives in Glen Head; and Crystal Chen, a Zhu employee who lives in East Williston, also pleaded not guilty to multiple charges alleging they participated in the scheme. U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto said the trial would last about eight weeks.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Winik told Matsumoto that prosecutors are prepared to share a "voluminous" amount of discovery with defense attorneys, who will have to review millions of pages of documents and other evidence, including material from electronic devices recently seized by investigators.

Matsumoto said the amount of discovery material would make an Aug. 24 trial date unlikely. Zhu’s attorneys also said they will file a request to have their client tried separately from the other defendants, which likely would cause delays.

Goldstein, however, said the indictment unsealed last week does not detail when and where Frank Carone and his co-defendants cooked up the alleged kickbacks-for-contracts scheme or how Carone allegedly betrayed his office. He also told Matsumoto the government has exculpatory evidence from witnesses who said Carone did not direct officials to offer Zhu a contract.

"We are confident that when we do have our day in court, that the evidence at trial is going to show there was no corrupt agreement," Goldstein told reporters.

Winik, meanwhile, raised objections about statements made by another of Frank Carone's attorneys, Arthur Aidala, after Carone pleaded not guilty last week. Aidala said Carone was investigated and prosecuted because Adams had criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies.

Aidala suggested the prosecutors were upset because the Trump administration had orchestrated the dismissal of Adams’ own corruption case. With Adams no longer a target, Aidala said, federal officials decided to target his right-hand man instead.

Matsumoto urged the attorneys on the case to be careful with public statements and told them to follow court rules.

Matsumoto also gave permission for Zhu, who is free on $8 million bond but subject to electronic monitoring, to attend the July 19 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.