Ex-Adams aide charged with witness tampering in campaign finance probe day after resigning

A former New York City official, who until Monday worked in the Adams administration, has been arrested and charged with witness tampering and obstruction of justice, according to federal prosecutors.

In a new complaint from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York, prosecutors allege Mohamed Bahi, 40, organized fundraisers for Mayor Eric Adams' 2021 campaign and accepted straw donations. Prosecutors say Bahi obstructed the federal investigation into those donations by deleting the encrypted messaging app Signal from his cellphone when FBI agents arrived at his house in July 2024 with a search warrant.

Bahi is also accused of ordering "third parties" to lie to federal agents and did so after meeting with "OFFICIAL-1," Adams, according to the complaint.

"As alleged, Mohamed Bahi obstructed a federal criminal investigation by instructing witnesses to lie and then destroying evidence," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. "The charges unsealed today should leave no doubt about the seriousness of any effort to interfere with a federal investigation, particularly when undertaken by a government employee. Our commitment to uncovering the truth and following the facts wherever they may lead is unwavering."

Read more from NBC New York:

• Eric Adams' top deputy mayor resigns amid flurry of City Hall exits
• Two adults charged in attack on former NY Gov. Paterson, days after teens arrested
• DOJ turns over evidence that could discredit key witness against Eric Adams, mayor's defense team says

Bahi's criminal complaint alleges that he organized a fundraiser at the Brooklyn headquarters of a construction company in December 2020, where Bahi suggested that the company's owner have his employees