Tony Herbert indicted on federal bribery and fraud charges in NYC
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A former New York City mayoral staffer who was fired after describing the Charlie Kirk assassination as “karma” against a “racist” has been charged with running three separate schemes that led to him pocketing nearly $36,000, federal authorities said Tuesday.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced that Tony Herbert, who previously worked in the Eric Adams administration, was arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday morning.
According to the indictment, the 61-year-old Brooklyn resident is accused of orchestrating two bribery schemes that reportedly netted him $16,000 while serving in the mayor’s office. Herbert allegedly obtained $20,000 by submitting a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application before starting his job with the city.
Authorities said Herbert “repeatedly and blatantly” abused his position as a city official to demand thousands of dollars in cash payments in two separate payout plans from 2022 to 2025.
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Tony Herbert was fired from his position as deputy mayor in 2025 after posting controversial comments about Charlie Kirk. (Theodore Parisienne of the New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Initially, Herbert allegedly accepted cash to help a security firm secure lucrative municipal contracts with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). In exchange for these bribes, Herbert agreed to advise and pressure other city officials to award the contracts, authorities said. The indictment states that these contracts included the provision of security services at NYCHA facilities.
“As alleged, Anthony Herbert engaged in blatant pay-for-play schemes to enrich himself while serving as City Hall’s liaison to the city’s public housing residents,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.
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In the second scheme, Herbert allegedly pressured city officials to approve payments to a funeral home director under a financial assistance program designed to cover funeral services for low-income families. In exchange for referral payments, Herbert allegedly received “thousands of dollars in kickbacks” from the funeral home director.
Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI. “Anthony Herbert allegedly used his position in the NYC Mayor’s Office to create a bribery and fraudulent side business,” he said in a statement. “He allegedly took advantage of his role to line his pockets by offering unfair advantages to certain businesses.”
Former New York Mayor Eric Adams. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press)
Authorities said Herbert applied for a fake PPP loan to obtain $20,418 for a fictitious bakery company before running for mayor in 2021.
In total, Herbert faces six federal charges, including two counts of bribery and one count of honest services wire fraud, federal program fraud, extortion and wire fraud. The maximum prison sentence for each suspect he faces ranges from 10 to 20 years.
Charlie Kirk speaks at CPAC in Oxon Hill, Maryland. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
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Herbert was fired from his position at City Hall last year after making controversial statements about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
In a Facebook post he wrote: “You hit the nail on the head, or should I say racist!!” He later posted a video defending his comment, saying he had no regrets and adding, “Unfortunately, karma is starting to add up.”
Both the initial post and the response video were removed shortly after.
