Tim Pearson, shadowy Adams top aide, resigns amid escalating federal corruption probe
Tim Pearson, a shadowy confidante and top aide to Mayor Adams, bowed to pressure and resigned Monday amid an escalating federal corruption probe that’s ensnared City Hall.
Pearson’s last day on the job will be Friday, nearly a month after he was among a raft of top Adams administration officials and allies who had their devices seized in a spate of dramatic federal raids Sept. 4.
His resignation also comes a week after Adams was charged with five criminal counts in a bombshell federal indictment.
“Tim has had a long career in both the public and private sectors, where he has spent over 30 years keeping New Yorkers safe,” Adams said in a statement on Monday of his decades-long friend.
“We appreciate Tim’s decades of service to this city and wish him well.”
Sources told The Post that Pearson agreed to resign two weeks ago, but didn’t pull the trigger until Monday.
The retired NYPD inspector’s tenure under Adams has been marked with controversy and contention.
Sources have said Pearson, who oversaw security deals for migrant shelters, is under scrutiny for allegedly interfering with picking contractors in exchange for kickbacks.
Feds have questioned cops in Pearson’s obscure city unit, the Municipal Services Assessment, about city contracting, sources said.
The accusations dovetailed with an account detailed in an April lawsuit that contended Pearson told workers in the office that he was looking to line his own pockets.
“People are doing very well on these contracts,” Pearson said, according to the lawsuit.
“I have to get mine. Where are my crumbs?”
Pearson, in his resignation letter to Adams, made no mention of the numerous problems that have plagued his two-year stint at City Hall, claiming he now wants to focus on “family, self-care and new endeavors.”
The senior advisor also insisted in his letter he played a “critical role” toward migrant services and security issues while bragging that he advised Adams on new technology and matters tied to the NYPD.
“I am proud of the work your administration has done for public safety and migrant services,” he wrote on Monday.
But leading up to his exit, Pearson was no longer in charge of doling out lucrative city migrant service contracts, though Adams said the move was not punitive.
| Year | Destination | Benefits | Value | Disclosed? |
| 2016 | India (via Turkey) | Free upgrade to business class for two on round-trip flight from New York to India | $12,000 | No |
| 2017 | France, Turkey, and China | Free business class tickets for three on round trip from New York to France, Turkey, and China; heavily discounted stay in Bentley Suite of St. Regis Istanbul | $41,000+ | No |
| 2017 | China (via Turkey) | Free business class tickets for two on round trip from New York to China | $16,000+ | No |
| 2018 | Hungary (via Turkey) | Free upgrade to business class for two on round trip from New York to Hungary | $12,000+ | No |
| 2019 | Turkey | Free upgrade to business class for one on flight from New York to Turkey; free stay at Cosmopolitan Suite of St. Regis Istanbul; free meals, transportation, and entertainment in Istanbul | $9,000+ | No |
| 2021 | Turkey (solicited and accepted but then canceled) | Free upgrade to business class for two on round trip from New York to Turkey; free or steeply discounted luxury hotel and resort stays, transportation, entertainment, and meals | $21,000+ | No |
| 2021 | Ghana (via Turkey) | Free upgrade to business class for two on round trip from New York to Ghana; free meal and transportation during Istanbul layover | $12,000+ | No |
Adams had been under pressure to oust Pearson and other officials being eyed by the feds, such as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks.
The mayor repeatedly defended Pearson, arguing the embattled ally and longtime friend saved the city beaucoup bucks in his role.
“We asked him to go in and look in and we saved hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing down the costs, everything from security contracts to other contracts,” Hizzoner recently said.
Besides being under federal scrutiny, Pearson has drawn unwelcome attention for a raft of sexual harassment accusations against him, a controversial brawl at a city migrant shelter and remaining on a casino’s payroll while working for the city.
During a press conference Tuesday largely focused on the fallout of his own indictment and swirling scandals, Adams repeatedly dodged questions about whether city taxpayers would end up footing the bill for Pearson’s legal representation in the sexual harassment suits.
Adams referred reporters to the city’s lawyers.
A law department spokesman, when contacted by The Post, gave a convoluted response about Pearson’s legal representation.
“Every determination of representation by the Law Department is subject to review as new facts and circumstances are discovered,” the spokeman said in a statement. “We will continue to evaluate Tim Pearson’s legal representation as we would in any case involving current or former employees.”
Pearson is one of several high-profile officials to recently leave City Hall, which has been entangled in multiple federal probes.
One councilman, Lincoln Restler, who represents part of Brooklyn, said on social media following the news that Pearson should have been canned months ago.
“His record under Mayor Adams includes multiple allegations of sexual harassment, corrupt City contracts, beating up security guard at migrant shelters & more,” he tweeted.
Additional reporting by David Propper