According to a report by Gothamist, an unlawful residential project in the East Village was discovered during an FBI raid of KSK Construction, which is linked to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Gothamist recently reported that KSK had failed to secure necessary permits to commence above-ground work on their 12-story development at 280 East Houston St. It wasn’t until the publication alerted the city’s buildings department that the oversight was noticed, but by then, five stories of the 157-unit project had already been built.
Amidst scrutiny following an FBI raid of mayoral campaign operative Briana Suggs’ home, a connection was revealed between the construction company and the investigation. However, it’s important to note that there is no known connection between the two entities. The oversight was uncovered during the investigation.
According to recent reports, KSK owner Erden Arkan organized a fundraiser in May 2021, which generated almost $70,000 for Adams’ campaign. However, there are suspicions that Adams’ team colluded with KSK and the Turkish government to funnel foreign funds into the campaign through straw donors. It is believed that some donors may have been falsely listed as contributors without actually donating, or were reimbursed at a later time. The federal government has launched an investigation into this matter.
In recent months, Mayor Adams’ other business relationships have been facing intense scrutiny. Weihong Hu, a developer, helped the mayor raise tens of thousands of dollars for his campaign. However, it was later discovered that the mayor had privately awarded city contracts worth millions of dollars to Hu.
Employees and vendors of Rybak Development, a developer based in Brooklyn, contributed at least $71,000 to an event in 2019, which was not disclosed to the campaign finance officials. The company failed to disclose this event.
Around 20 years ago, KSK was separated from Kiska Construction, and since then, it has been focusing on creating high-end condominium developments.
