New York City pays indicted developer $500,000 monthly

New York City is paying over $500,000 a month to a hotel developer named Weihong Hu, who has been indicted for bribery. Hu allegedly paid a nonprofit CEO large sums of cash and helped him buy a townhouse worth $1.3 million in return for city contracts worth more than $20 million for her hotels and a catering business. She has pleaded not guilty. Despite these serious charges, Mayor Eric Adams's administration continues to financially support Hu’s company. They pay her more than $542,000 monthly to provide a program at one of her hotels. This decision raises concerns among good government experts about the ethics of funding someone who may testify against the mayor and his associates. Investigations into Hu have revealed that she had ties to Adams and his administration, receiving millions in contracts after providing favors. A joint investigation found she funneled illegal campaign contributions to Adams and allowed his associates to stay in her hotel. Following her indictment, Hu has been in discussions about possibly making a plea deal with prosecutors. Legal experts suggest that she could trade information about Adams for a lighter sentence. City officials have started looking for alternative providers to stop funding Hu. They warn that abruptly ending her contract could harm the community and add costs. However, there has been little progress in finding a new site for the program that houses formerly incarcerated individuals. The ongoing payments could total around $20 million over the next three years. This situation unfolds as the Trump administration seeks to support Adams against separate federal corruption charges involving Turkish officials. How this will affect the investigation into Hu and her dealings with the mayor's office remains unclear.