Feds probe whether NYC Council member, Hochul aide took bribes to help migrant shelter provider
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors are investigating whether a New York City Council member and her sister, an aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul, accepted bribes or kickbacks in connection with the appropriation of city funds to a migrant shelter provider, according to a copy of a search warrant obtained by The Associated Press.
The warrant, signed March 19, seeks evidence of possible criminal violations involving Councilmember Farah Louis, a Brooklyn Democrat, and Debbie Louis, who serves as Hochul’s assistant secretary of New York City intergovernmental affairs.
It also names Edu Hermelyn, the husband of state Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who also chairs the Brooklyn Democratic Party.
A spokesperson for Hochul confirmed that Debbie Louis was placed on leave last week after the governor learned of the federal corruption investigation. A person who answered a phone number listed for Louis promptly hung up after being asked about the probe.
Voicemail messages seeking comment from Farah Louis and Edu Hermelyn were not returned.
The warrant, for a phone connected to the investigation, said prosecutors are seeking information about whether the three received benefits in exchange for actions taken on behalf of BHRAGS Home Care Inc., a Brooklyn-based service provider previously focused on at-home medical care.
BHRAGS received its first contract to run an emergency migrant shelter in 2022, as an influx of asylum seekers began arriving in the city. The company has since been awarded more than a dozen contracts for homeless services totaling over $200 million.
An attorney for the executive director of BHRAGS, Roberto Samedy, declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn declined to comment.
The existence of a search warrant doesn’t necessarily indicate that prosecutors plan to bring criminal charges, only that investigators persuaded a magistrate judge to allow them to dig deeper and seize evidence.
Both the Louis sisters and Heremlyn are prominent fixtures within Brooklyn’s Democratic county committee, which has faced a barrage of scandals in recent years.
Hermelyn briefly served as a senior advisor to former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, but resigned over questions about whether his position as a Brooklyn district leader violated rules forbidding dual government roles.
He later advised Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his failed mayoral bid.