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Sheena Wright, Adams' first deputy mayor, resigns amid escalating corruption case

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Published  October 8, 2024 12:54pm EDT
Eric Adams
FOX 5 NY

Sheena Wright, Adams' first deputy mayor, resigns

Just days after her wedding, her husband's resignation, and her home being searched by the feds, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright says she is leaving her post. FOX 5's Morgan McKay has the latest.

NEW YORK - First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright resigned Tuesday amid the ongoing NYC Mayor Eric Adams' federal corruption case. 

She is among a growing number of high-ranking officials who have resigned following the FBI's raid on her home.

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Wright is set to be replaced by Maria Torres-Springer, who is currently the deputy mayor for housing, economic development, and workforce. 

According to the city, she will continue to manage her housing and economic development portfolio given its significance to the administration’s agenda.    

Who is Sheena Wright? 

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Wright has been part of the Adams administration since Jan. 2022, initially serving as deputy mayor of strategic initiatives and transitioning to her current role as first deputy mayor the following year. 

Her partner, NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks, recently admitted that Adams forced him to resign early but insisted that he had long planned to leave at the end of the year anyway. 

Wright and Banks share a home in Hamilton Heights that was raided by the feds in September. 

Chancellor David Banks embracing his partner Sheena Wright during his announcement to retire at the Bronx School of Law, Government and Justice on Sept. 25, 2024, in New York. (Shawn Inglima/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

David Banks' brothers, Philip Banks III, the deputy mayor for public safety, and Terence Banks, a consultant, also faced federal raids and had their phones seized as part of the ongoing investigation into Mayor Adams' administration.

The consecutive resignations of newlyweds Wright and Banks follow Adams' unprecedented status as the first sitting mayor in New York City history to face federal criminal charges.

The couple had a secret wedding on Martha's Vineyard this past weekend with just a few people.

Many have questioned the timing of the wedding and Banks' resignation. However, Banks told FOX 5 "anybody that would criticize has probably never been in love."

Banks said that he had been planning the wedding for some time and that neither he nor his wife are targets of the ongoing federal corruption investigation involving Mayor Eric Adams' administration.

On Sept. 4, the FBI raided the homes of at least 3 NYC officials closely connected to Adams, including First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III and New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban.