A Brooklyn Council member, her sister — an aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul — and the husband of a Democratic state Assembly member are being investigated by federal prosecutors looking into whether they took bribes to help a migrant shelter provider that has received $200 million in city contracts, according to a report.
Democratic Councilwoman Farah Louis and her sister, Debbie Louis, who served as Hochul’s assistant secretary of New York City intergovernmental affairs, were named in a search warrant obtained by the Associated Press seeking evidence for possible criminal violations.
Edu Hermelyn, the husband of state Assembly Member and chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, was also named in the search warrant signed on March 19.
The warrant seeking a phone connected to the investigation said prosecutors are examining if the three prominent Brooklyn Dems received kickbacks in exchange for actions taken on behalf of BHRAGS Home Care Inc. — a Brooklyn-based home service provider turned migrant shelter provider.
BHRAGS received its first contract to run an emergency migrant shelter in 2022 during the city’s migrant crisis. The company has since been awarded more than a dozen contracts for homeless services totaling over $200 million, the AP reported.
A Brooklyn insider, and ally of Bichotte Hermelyn, alleged that the probe appears to be politically motivated.
“This is political persecution driven by the far-right, targeting immigrants and the leaders who stand with them,” the insider told The Post. “There are no charges at this time, and the facts will ultimately lead to this case being dropped on its merits.”
The feds executed several raids in connection with the probe, sources told The Post.
Debbie Louis was placed on leave immediately after the governor’s office was informed of the federal investigation, a Hochul spokesperson told The Post.
Sources familiar with the probe said the investigation does not involve her role at the governor’s office or state funds.
Attempts to reach Farah Louis and Bichotte Hermelyn were unsuccessful.
