A New York City hotel developer, who donated to Mayor Eric Adams' campaign, raked in millions of dollars of city funding after Adams took office, a recent investigation revealed.
Weihong Hu received lucrative contracts from the city to provide housing for formerly incarcerated New Yorkers and newly arrived migrants, in her Queens hotels. In at least some instances, however, those hotel rooms actually went to city officials and Adams associates, according to an investigation by news outlets The City, The Guardian US and Documented.
Hu and Adams reportedly first met in a Brooklyn diner in May 2021. The hotelier had financial interests on the line - as she had previously secured city contracts during the de Blasio administration. Adams, meanwhile, was seeking the Democratic mayoral nomination and needed campaign funds. The two spoke for a half hour, took a photo together and then parted ways. Within a few weeks, Hu was bundling donations for the Adams campaign, according to the investigation.
More than a year later, top mayoral aide Winnie Greco reportedly lived in a suite in Hu's hotel, while the city footed the bill for eight months. In a separate incident, the mayor's son Jordan Coleman and an unidentified woman stayed in a Hu-owned hotel - though once again their room was paid for using city money.
Hu also hired another Adams associate - former state Senator John Sampson - to serve as CEO of one of her hotel companies. The pair met at an Adams fundraiser just one month after Sampson was released from prison after being convicted of embezzlement, according to The City.
Just one month after Hu hired Sampson, the Department of Homeless Services approved a $7.5 million annual contract to house migrants.
When journalists pressed Sampson about his role in Hu's business he responded "I'm not saying anything," according to The City.
"I'm just saying, 'Do your homework.' I'm not going to do your homework for you. You know I don't deal with the press."
Wu also reportedly got out of following city regulations regarding construction safety, using her ties to City Hall. Late one evening, the Department of Buildings reversed a stop work order at Hu's hotels, despite reports of a serious safety issue. At a separate hotel development, Hu was reportedly allowed to flout a stop work order intended to block her from demolishing rent-stabilized apartments.
"Somebody had to get a favor somehow somewhere on this because this went from an incredibly public, structured process with multiple agencies involved to come up with a solution, and then it all went away," housing activist Joe Restuccia told The City. "What happened here?"
Mayor's Office Spokeswoman Liz Garcia defended both of the reversals in a statement.
"The two projects referenced went through standard DOB processes for investigating and addressing complaints, and once all conditions were deemed safe at each site, DOB allowed work to continue," she told The City.
In June 2023, Hu hosted a fundraiser gala for Adams that Greco also attended. The campaign reported receiving 20 donations at the event - each for $2,000 - from Hu's friends and family members.
"We want to start early and make sure that we have the necessary funds to put on a good strong campaign," Adams told the event's guests.
Months later, however, three of the donors alleged that Hu illegally reimbursed them for contributions, The City reported in an earlier investigation.
"The truth is we donated because my friend asked me to," one of the donors said. "[Hu] told me to write a check, I did her a favor and then she gave me the cash."
