Federal prosecutors are investigating whether a Brooklyn City Council member and her sister, an aide to Governor Kathy Hochul, accepted bribes or kickbacks in connection with the appropriation of city funds to a migrant shelter provider, according to a copy of a search warrant obtained by The Associated Press.
The warrant, signed March 19, seeks evidence of possible criminal violations involving Council Member Farah Louis and Debbie Louis, who serves as Hochul’s assistant secretary of New York City intergovernmental affairs, the AP reported.
It also names Edu Hermelyn, the husband of state Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who chairs the Brooklyn Democratic Party, the wire service said.
A spokesperson for Hochul confirmed to the AP that Debbie Louis was placed on leave last week after the governor learned of the federal corruption investigation. A person who answered a phone number listed for Louis promptly hung up after being asked about the probe.
Voicemail messages seeking comment from Farah Louis and Edu Hermelyn were not returned.
The warrant, for a phone connected to the investigation, said prosecutors are seeking information about whether the three received benefits in exchange for actions taken on behalf of BHRAGS Home Care Inc., a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that provides in-home services to the sick and elderly, the AP reported.
The warrant also seeks records of money transfers and communications between the officials and Edouardo St. Fort, a former New York Police Department sergeant who retired in 2023, the AP said.
