New York City Mayor Eric Adams is currently facing federal charges of bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations — and, apparently, we can thank “Espresso” singer Sabrina Carpenter for her service.
Or, at least, in part. While her Short N’ Sweet Tour stopped in New York’s Madison Square Garden last night (September 29), Carpenter joked about her supposed involvement with the investigation that brought the charges against Adams, saying, “Should we talk about how I got the mayor indicted, or…?”
However, her role in the indictment actually turns out to be quite minimal and stems from the minor controversy that spun out of her video for “Feather.” Last November, after the video debuted, a scene filmed at Our Lady Of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, Brooklyn got the priest who okayed the shoot relieved of his administrative duties.
Apparently, Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantiello reviewed the script, but did not know how the final scene would play out, and his superiors in the Catholic Church were less than pleased with the results. While Carpenter had a typically sarcastic response, apparently, Gigantiello had other business dealings that drew investigators’ attentions. According to the New York Post, Gigantiello’s associations with Adams and his former chief of staff, Frank Carone, led to a federal subpoena looking into whether Adams’ alleged corruption extended to the church.
The Post even suggests that it was the “Feather” shoot specifically that drew federal attention to the parish, but according to Brooklyn diocese officials, “It would be inappropriate to comment further on that review, which is still ongoing.” The church says it’s “fully committed to cooperating with law enforcement in all investigations, including conduct at individual parishes or involving any priest.”