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A former top New York City mayoral staffer, who was fired after describing Charlie Kirk’s assassination as “karma” against a “racist,” has been indicted for running three separate schemes that led him to pocket roughly $36,000, federal officials announced Tuesday.
Tony Herbert, who previously worked in the Eric Adams administration, was arrested Tuesday morning in Manhattan, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York revealed.
According to the indictment, the 61-year-old Brooklyn resident has been accused of orchestrating two bribery schemes while serving in the mayor’s office, which reportedly netted him $16,000. Prior to his city employment, Herbert allegedly obtained $20,000 after submitting a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application.
Officials said that from 2022 to 2025, Herbert “repeatedly and flagrantly” abused his position as a city official to solicit thousands of dollars in cash payments in two separate pay-to-play schemes.
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In the first instance, 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, officials said Herbert agreed to advise and pressure other city government officials to award the contracts. The indictment notes that these contracts included providing security services at NYCHA developments.
“As alleged, at a time when Anthony Herbert was serving as City Hall’s liaison to the City’s public housing residents, he engaged in blatant pay-to-play schemes to enrich himself,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said.
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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 burial services for low-income families. In exchange for steering payments, Herbert allegedly received “thousands of dollars in kickbacks” from the funeral home director.
“It’s alleged Anthony Herbert used his position in the NYC Mayor’s Office to create a side hustle of bribery and fraud,” IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Harry T. Chavis, Jr. said in a statement. “He allegedly took advantage of his role to line his pockets by offering unfair advantages to certain businesses.”
In 2021, before joining the mayor’s office, Herbert submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application for a fictitious baked goods company to obtain $20,418, authorities said.
In total, Herbert faces six federal charges including two counts of bribery and single counts of honest services wire fraud, federal program fraud, extortion and wire fraud. Each individual count he faces carries a maximum prison term between 10 and 20 years.
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Herbert was fired from his City Hall post last year after making controversial remarks about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
In a Facebook post, he wrote, “You hit the nail right on the head or should I say racist!!” He later posted a video defending his comment, saying he did not regret it and adding, “Unfortunately, karma has come to collect.”
Both the initial post and the response video were removed shortly afterward.
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