Eric Adams’ girlfriend joined on $45K worth of luxe trips, accused of having ‘no-show’ DOE job
Mayor Adams’ longtime girlfriend Tracey Collins, a highly paid “senior advisor” in the city Department of Education, joined Hizzoner on $45,000 worth of ritzy trips — and allegedly hasn’t shown up for work in nearly a year, according to complaints filed this week.
A former DOE teacher, principal and assistant superintendent, Collins, 61, is referred to as “Adams’ domestic partner” in the 57-page federal indictment unsealed against the mayor this week.
The Fort Lee, NJ, resident went on Adams’ trips to India, Hungary, Turkey, Jordan, Oman and Ghana starting in 2016, among other luxury jaunts, according to prosecutors who accuse the mayor of accepting travel perks worth up to $123,000.
On Friday, a former DOE employee filed complaints about Collins and her “no-show job” with DOE ethics officer Samantha Biletsky, the Conflicts of Interest Board, the Special Commissioner of Investigation for city schools, and the city Department of Investigation, all questioning if she reported the luxury perks as required.
The employee also alleged Collins has rarely appeared in the office since November 2023, and her work calendar has remained empty.
Co-workers haven’t seen Collins, who makes $221,597 a year, in person since Thanksgiving, the ex-employee reported.
“It is my understanding that DOE employees are only permitted to work from home two days a week,” the ex-employee, who previously worked in the same building as Collins, wrote in an email to Biletsky.
Investigators should look into Collins allegedly “accepting gifts in excess of 100K from a foreign government and not declaring said gifts on her Conflicts of Interest disclosure,” the complaint states.
Collins’ time and attendance records also must be examined to “verify that she put in for vacation while she took all of those illegal trips,” according to the complaint.
In January 2018, Adams and Collins traveled to Budapest through Istanbul, according to the federal indictment against the mayor.
Several months earlier, Collins bought two economy-class tickets from Turkish Airlines for approximately $560 each, but received a free upgrade to business class worth more than $14,000 – the highest the airline offers – following a request by an Adams’ staffer, the document states.
The free and cut-rate travel was omitted from Adams’ 2018 Conflict of Interest Board disclosure form, the indictment states.
All city officials and high-level employees must disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the COIB under the NYC Charter.
In January 2019, Collins bought an economy ticket for herself for a trip with Adams to Turkey, Jordan and Oman.
Her ticket was upgraded to a seat worth at least $7,000, prosecutors charge, while a staffer requested Adams’ upgrade separately, since it was bought through a Turkish entrepreneur, one who later became a senior staffer in his administration.
An SCI spokesperson told The Post, “We are currently reviewing and evaluating the allegations.”
The city Conflicts of Interest Board is “prohibited from commenting on the past conduct of a public servant until there is a final finding of a violation,” said COIB executive director Carolyn Lisa Miller.
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