Tim Pearson, a top adviser and confidant to Mayor Adams who has for months faced various legal issues, is resigning from his position in the wake of the mayor being indicted on federal corruption charges.
In a letter sent to the mayor late Monday, Pearson wrote he’ll officially depart the Adams administration Oct. 4 to “focus on family, self-care and new endeavors.”
“I played a critical role in ensuring quality assurance for migrant services and security issues, with particular oversight of shelter sites and migrant contracts, with a focus on keeping costs down for the city,” Pearson wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily News.
The announcement of Pearson’s exit, first reported by the New York Times, comes less than a week after federal prosecutors indicted Adams on charges alleging he accepted and solicited bribes from Turkish nationals in exchange for doing political favors for the Turkish government. Adams on Friday pleaded not guilty to those charges, which stem from an investigation that’s separate from federal corruption probes that have ensnared Pearson and other top aides to the mayor.
The resignation also comes just days after Gov. Hochul, who has the power to remove Adams from office, advised the mayor he needed to assure New Yorkers of stability in his leadership.
Hugh Mo, Pearson’s lawyer, told The News his client decided to resign because he “wants to give to the mayor the opportunity to restructure his team.”
In a statement, Adams — who has for months resisted calls to fire Pearson — praised Pearson, who was given unusually broad powers in the municipal bureaucracy, advising the mayor on everything from public safety and technology to COVID recovery efforts and the city’s migrant crisis. He earned an annual city salary of $257,374, one of the highest in the municipal government.
“We appreciate Tim’s decades of service to this city and wish him well,” said Adams, who has himself rejected calls to resign following his federal indictment.
Pearson, an ex-NYPD inspector who served with Adams in the police department and has known him for decades, was among more than a half dozen top aides to the mayor who had their homes raided and electronics seized by federal investigators earlier this month as part of several ongoing corruption probes.
The investigations are, among other issues, looking at allegations of influence pedaling and kickbacks on city contracts. Molly Schaeffer, Adams’ asylum seeker operations director, was subpoenaed by the feds earlier this month for communications with Pearson and grand jury testimony.
“The feds have not disclosed anything to us,” Mo, Pearson’s attorney, said late Monday. “We’re taking the position that he denies any wrongdoing … A lot of the allegations are salacious and a lot are untrue.”
A number of the other aides ensnared in the investigations have also resigned or announced they’re leaving the administration, including ex-NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and outgoing Schools Chancellor David Banks.
Pearson, who has been an employee of the city’s quasi-private Economic Development Corporation despite serving as a senior adviser to Adams working out of an office near City Hall, was tasked by the mayor to run a new unit he created last year called the Municipal Services Assessment division. The unit is mostly staffed by former and current NYPD employees.
Beyond the federal probes, Pearson faces four lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and professional retaliation against subordinates at the MSA unit.
One of those suits includes a reference to a comment Pearson allegedly made while voicing anger about a Bronx migrant shelter contract being called off in the last minute. “People are doing very well on these contracts. I have to get mine. Where are my crumbs?” Pearson said.
Amid the mounting legal issues, members of Adams’ administration privately started urging him to can Pearson in recent weeks. As first reported by The News, Lisa Zornberg, Adams’ chief counsel at City Hall, resigned this month after the mayor rejected her demand for him to push out Pearson. Less than two weeks later, Adams was indicted.
Pearson first came under scrutiny in late 2022 when it emerged he was pulling a city salary at the same time as he was being paid by Resorts World Casino in Queens, where he was vice president of security. He surrendered the casino job after his dual employment came to light.
In October 2023, Pearson got into a scuffle with two security guards at a Manhattan migrant shelter. The guards were arrested, but the focus turned to Pearson’s handling of the incident, as it became subject of a still-ongoing Department of Investigation probe following allegations he set off the scuffle by shoving at least one female guard.
In late March, the first of four lawsuits against Pearson was filed alleging he used his outsized influence in the NYPD to retaliate against three now-retired cops and a chief assigned to the MSA unit.
Roxanne Ludemann sued first claiming Pearson sexually harassed her and blocked her promotions. Two other officers who backed her allegations — Sgt. Michael Ferrari and Lt. George Huang — then also sued after they alleged they were shunted to patrol positions as punishment for defending Ludemann.
Chief Miltiadis Marmara, the supervisor of the other three, sued in June, also alleging professional retaliation by Pearson.
“While Pearson’s departure is a crucial and necessary step forward, our clients remain steadfast in their pursuit of justice to fully address the harm caused by his actions,” John Scola, a lawyer representing the cops suing Pearson, said late Monday.
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