Federal law enforcement officials on Friday issued a subpoena to a top aide in the Adams administration and visited a building where her parents live, according to surveillance footage provided to Gothamist and the Associated Press.
The AP reported that federal prosecutors issued a subpoena for Molly Schaeffer, the director of Asylum Seeker Operations. A doorman at her parents’ building who spoke to Gothamist confirmed a visit on Friday morning from law enforcement officials.
It’s unclear whether the subpoena and visits were tied to any of the ongoing federal investigations into Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign and his top aides.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York declined to comment. The office for the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A doorman at an apartment building listed as the address for Schaeffer’s parents told Gothamist he saw two plain clothes law enforcement officers with badges arrive at around 8:15 a.m. Friday. He said he later saw Schaeffer’s father, Peter Schaeffer, leave the building.
A representative for the building’s management office declined to comment.
Surveillance video footage obtained by Gothamist shows two law enforcement officials walking into the building, one holding a small briefcase. The doorman said the officials went upstairs and were inside the building for about 10 minutes. He said did not see them leave with any boxes.
Reached by phone, Molly Schaeffer denied that officials had searched her apartment, but not that she’d been visited by officers.
“Searching is a strong word,” she said, and referred questions to a City Hall spokesperson. Her father did not return phone messages.
Fabien Levy, the deputy mayor for communications, declined to answer multiple questions about the visits.
“While we won’t comment on an ongoing investigation, as we have repeatedly said, we expect all team members to fully comply with any ongoing inquiry,” Levy said in a statement. “Molly Schaeffer is an integral part of our team and works hard every day to deliver for New Yorkers.”
Schaeffer has worked closely with Adams on city services for its migrant population. The mayor said she accompanied him to a meeting last month with a group of Brooklyn residents complaining about migrant shelters in their neighborhood.
She has been in her current role for about a year and half. Prior to that, she was the deputy chief of staff to Adams and senior emergency adviser.
Adams has referred to Schaeffer as a member of a team working on migrant issues that includes the deputy mayor of health and human services, Anne Williams-Isom, and senior adviser Timothy Pearson. Pearson was among those who had his phones seized earlier this month, according to multiple reports. He has been at the center of several controversies, including one involving a physical altercation with shelter staffers. The incident is currently under a city investigation.
Pearson is also being sued for sexual harassment and retaliation by former NYPD officers who worked under him.
This is a developing story.
Charles Lane and Samantha Max contributed reporting.