NEW: Top Democrat Caught Giving Journalist Cash Hidden In Bag Of Chips

Former top aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams — who is also an adviser for his current re-election campaign — allegedly handed a reporter a bag of potato chips stuffed with money on Wednesday, said several sources close to the situation.

Winnie Greco handed off the bag to Katie Honan, a reporter who works for The City. The “drop,” as they call it in law enforcement, happened just a few steps away from Adams’s new campaign office located in Harlem, according to the New York Post. At this time, neither Adams himself nor his campaign has been implicated in the incident.

Greco, 62, came across Honan’s path just outside the campaign office. Later in the day, The City reporter got a text from Greco asking her to meet near a TD Bank across the street. The two met at the bank, then made their way to a Whole Foods close by. Greco then handed Honan a crumpled bag of what appeared to be Herr’s sour cream and onion rippled potato chips.

Honan thought Greco was simply offering her a snack, and thus rejected the chips and told her she could not accept them. Greco insisted. After they went their separate ways, Honan opened the bag and found a red envelope that contained at least one $100 bill and several $20 bills.

The City claimed this was a “failed payoff.” However, Greco is saying she “accidentally” handed the reporter the money. Greco later apologized for the mix-up in comments given to the publication.

“I make a mistake,” she went on to say. “I’m so sorry. It’s a culture thing. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. I feel so bad right now. I’m so sorry, honey.”

After conducting an interview with the outlet, Greco called back, this time with legal representation present.

“Can we forget about this? I try to be a good person. Please. Please. Please don’t do in the news nothing about me,” she pleaded with The City.

“I just wanted to be her friend,” Greco tried to explain, adding, “I just wanted to have one good friend. It’s nothing,” she told the outlet.

Steven Brill, an attorney for Greco, said she was “purely innocent” and said the whole thing was a simple misunderstanding that stemmed from cultural differences.

“I can see how this looks strange,” Brill went on to tell The City. “But I assure you that Winnie’s intent was purely innocent. In the Chinese culture, money is often given to others in a gesture of friendship and gratitude.”

“Winnie is apologetic and embarrassed by any negative impression or confusion that may have caused,” Brill finished.

Adams’ re-election campaign immediately suspended Greco’s volunteer status following the revelation of the incident.

“We are shocked by these reports. Winnie Greco holds no position in this campaign and has been suspended from all VOLUNTEER campaign-related activities. Mayor Adams had no prior knowledge of this matter,” spokesperson Todd Shapiro explained. “He has always demanded the highest ethical and legal standards, and his sole focus remains on serving the people of New York City with integrity. “We are shocked by these reports.”

Greco’s home in the Bronx was raided in February 2024 following a probe by NYC’s Department of Investigation, which alleged she improperly used her position as an Asian affairs adviser for Adams to gain perks.

She then seemed to vanish into thin air, but reappeared in recent weeks to volunteer for the campaign.