Sabrina Carpenter bragged about ‘getting the mayor indicted’ as she performed in New York City Sunday night, breaking her silence on her link to Mayor Eric Adams’ federal corruption probe.
‘Should we talk about how I got the mayor indicted?’ the 25-year-old singer said as she took a break between songs at Madison Square Garden to cheering fans.
It was the first time Carpenter spoke publicly about her link to the New York City mayor’s corruption scandal, which began when she filmed scenes for her Feather music video at a Brooklyn church.
The Feather video, released last year, shows Carpenter provocatively dressed at a ‘funeral’ of former boyfriends held in the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church. The group of spurned men then kill themselves, splattering the singer in fake blood.
The Brooklyn Diocese was so appalled about the production of the video that they demoted the Monsignor who approved it – sparking a probe that potentially unraveled a string of misdeeds and possible crimes.
At first, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello claimed Carpenter’s team ‘failed to accurately represent the video content’ when he agreed to allow her to film a music video at the historic church.
‘I offer my sincere apologies for this shameful representation which I whole-heartedly denounce,’ Gigantiello, who also serves as the FDNY chaplain, told his parishioners in a letter posted on Facebook.
‘I agreed to the filming after a general search of the artists involved did not reveal anything questionable.’
He went on to ask forgiveness, but Bishop Robert Brennan said he was ‘appalled’ by the production, which he called a ‘desecration of the church’ in a statement relieving Gigantiello of his administrative duties.
The bishop then warned he ‘is taking this matter seriously and will be looking into it further’ with a ‘broader administrative review into the church.’
Then, last week, federal investigators issued a subpoena to the church, requesting information on the ‘business dealings’ between Gigantiello and Adams’ former chief of staff Frank Carone, NBC New York first reported.
Carone had served as the mayor’s chief of staff until he resigned in 2022 to run a consulting firm, and now chairs Adams’ re-election campaign.
As questions about that probe emerged, the Brooklyn Diocese told NBC New York: ‘It would be inappropriate to comment further on that review, which is still ongoing.
‘The Diocese is fully committed to cooperating with law enforcement in all investigations, including conduct at individual parishes or involving any priest.’
Some have speculated that the last sentence of the statement implies Carpenter’s music video shoot may have led to a review of Gigantiello’s business dealings – an in turn, into the federal probe into Mayor Adams.
Gigantiello and Carone have been photographed together and have been friends for decades, Politico reports.
Carone even said the monsignor was a close friend who he admired for his ‘ability to unite and inspire our community through his work in our faith.’
He helped Gigantiello invest in real estate, deals which federal investigators have been probing for months as they communicate with lawyers for the Diocese of Brooklyn.
But just days after news of the subpoena broke, Adams, 64, was indicted by a federal grand jury in a wide-ranging corruption investigation that has seen some of his top advisors resign.
He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and receiving campaign contributions from foreign nationals.
The mayor is also accused of defrauding NYC taxpayers of $10 million through allegedly fraudulent campaign funds.
Prosecutors have said Adams took advantage of the city’s system of matching campaign contributions with tax dollars, and ‘fraudulently obtained as much as $2,000 in public funds for each illegal contribution.’
He was allegedly ‘relying on the concealed nature of these illegal contributions to falsely portray his campaigns as law-abiding,’ according to the indictment.
‘As a result of those false certifications, Adam’s 2021 mayoral campaign received more than $10,000,000 in public funds’, prosecutors said on Thursday.
The indictment also claims Adams’ relationship with Turkish officials saw him accept a number of luxurious gifts, including stays in lavish Istanbul hotels.
He also allegedly pressured the FDNY to open a Turkish government-owned high rise in Manhattan in exchange for ‘luxury travel benefits’ – despite the building failing safety inspectors.
The New York Times reports that Adams’ dealings with Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan are also under the federal microscope.
Adams pleaded not guilty to the charges in Manhattan Federal Court on Friday, and has claimed he was singled out by the Biden administration due to his stance on the migrant crisis.
He said in a pre-recorded statement Wednesday night, before the indictment became public: ‘It is now my belief that the federal government is attempting charge me with crimes. If so, these charges will be entirely false, based on lies.
‘But they will not be surprising. I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target. And a target I became.
‘For months, leaks, rumors, have been aimed at me in an attempt to undermine my credibility and paint me as guilty,’ the mayor continued
‘Just this past week, they searched the home of our new police commissioner, looking for documents from 20 years ago.
‘Enough.’
‘I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit,’ Adams declared.
‘If I’m charged, I know I am innocent.
‘I will request an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can hear the truth.’
The political newcomer proceeded to point to his law enforcement background, which he leaned on intensely three years ago during a successful campaign that touted him as tough-on-crime.
‘New Yorkers know my story and know where I come from,’ the former police captain said. ‘I have been fighting injustices my entire life. That fight has continued as your mayor.
Turning back to the migrant situation that has seen 217,300 foreigners funneled into the city, he proclaimed: ‘Despite our pleas, the federal government did nothing as it’s broken immigration policies [and] overloaded our shelter system.
‘I put the people of New York before party and politics,’ the mayor pressed on – before a lengthy pause.
He then conceded that he will likely face calls to resign – which he said he will continue to resist.
‘But I have been facing these lies for months, since I began to speak out for all of you – and there investigation started,’ he continued, claiming a conspiracy against him.
‘Yet, the city has continued to improve.’
He then offered a final sign-off.
‘You elected me to lead this city, and lead it I will. I humbly ask for your prayers and patience as we see this through. God bless you, and God bless the city of New York. Thank you.’