NEW YORK (AP) — A former New York City official was charged Tuesday with witness tampering and destroying evidence in a sweeping federal investigation that led to Mayor Eric Adams’ indictment on charges he took bribes and illegal campaign cash from foreign interests.

The arrest came amid an ongoing exodus of top Adams administration officials, as federal prosecutors delve deeper into allegations that the mayor was using staffers in an attempt to cover up wrongdoing.

Mohamed Bahi, who resigned Monday as the mayor’s liaison to the Muslim community, is accused of encouraging a businessman to solicit illegal straw donations from four of the businessman’s employees and to then lie about it to the FBI.

At one point, Bahi told the businessman that Adams believed the man wouldn’t cooperate with law enforcement, according to prosecutors. As agents arrived to search Bahi’s home in July, they say he deleted an encrypted messaging app from his cell phone that he had used to communicate with Adams.

Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Adams denied that he had any hand in telling anyone to lie. “I would never instruct anyone to do anything illegal or improper,” he said.

…