Adams Confidant Steps Down Amid Federal Corruption Investigations
The New York Times
Few people in city government were closer to Mayor Eric Adams than Timothy Pearson, who had a role in handling migrant shelter contracts.
One of Mayor Eric Adams’ closest aides and confidants resigned on Monday, less than a week after the mayor was indicted on corruption charges — and nearly a month after federal agents seized the aide’s phones in a separate corruption inquiry, according to a resignation letter his lawyer said had been sent to the mayor.
The aide, Timothy Pearson, had a broad portfolio that included dealing with contracts for migrant shelters and focusing on public safety. He is the fifth senior member of the mayor’s administration to announce his departure in the past three weeks.
In the letter, Mr. Pearson thanked the mayor and lauded the administration’s accomplishments.
“As I look ahead to the next chapter of my life, I’ve decided to focus on family, self-care and new endeavors,” he wrote.
A retired Police Department inspector, Mr. Pearson is also a defendant in four sexual harassment lawsuits filed by subordinates, and he is the subject of two separate inquiries by the New York City Department of Investigation. He was among the several senior administration officials whose phones were seized by federal investigators on Sept. 4.
Some members of the Adams administration had for weeks been pressing for the resignations of Mr. Pearson and others whose phones had been seized.
