NYC Mayor Eric Adams' Girlfriend Tracey Collins Has A Shady Past
While Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji's age gap might raise a few eyebrows, it's nowhere near as scandalous as the accusations lobbed at Eric Adams — Mamdani's predecessor as New York mayor — and Adams' significant other.
Adams has earned a reputation for being notoriously out of office — all while, ironically, still in office. "I was a little boy that had a dream of traveling the globe. And I'm living out that dream," he proudly declared during a press conference in December 2023. (Enter: the untold truth of Eric Adams.) Unfortunately, it was that same love of travel that also greatly contributed to his high-profile indictment on federal corruption charges, including bribery, campaign finance violations, and conspiracy offenses. While the investigation was eventually dismissed in April 2025, the probe tarnished much of his reputation anyway, and ultimately led to his downfall. But at least he didn't ruin his reputation on live TV, like many other politicians have.
Alas, it appears Adams' longtime girlfriend, Tracey Collins, has a shady past as well. During the same time he was under investigation, she was being accused of being a perpetual no-show at her own job — a senior position at the New York City Department of Education that she was promoted to in 2022, right after Adams was elected. The promotion also came with an estimated $50,000 bump in pay, per The City. Coincidence?! We'll let you be the judge. Sadly, that's not where it ends for Collins. She's also accused of living high on the hog, benefiting from all of the mayor's lavish international jaunts — all allegedly on the dimes of foreign officials who were desperate for the mayor to do their bidding.
An anonymous whistleblower claims Tracey Collins was a 'no-show' at her job for more than a year
On September 27, 2024, an anonymous former employee of the Department of Education filed complaints with the department's ethics officer, the Conflicts of Interest Board, the Special Commissioner of Investigation for city schools, and the city Department of Investigation, stating that Collins had not reported to her job in over a year. "It is my understanding that DOE employees are only permitted to work from home two days a week," the former employee turned whistleblower wrote in an email obtained by the New York Post. Per The City, a spokesperson for the Special Commissioner of Investigation as well as the city's Department of Investigation acknowledged receipt of the complaint and conveyed that they were "looking into the matter" and reviewing the claims, respectively.
In November 2024, Collins unceremoniously retired from her controversial position. "Ms. Collins served public school students for over 30 years as a teacher, principal, and administrator, and we wish her the best in her retirement," a spokesperson for the Education Department said in an email announcing her abrupt retirement. According to the spokesperson, Collins' roles within her position included "strategic planning, making recommendations on agency priorities, and providing advice and support to senior leadership." As one can imagine, the surprise retirement announcement only begged more questions. Was Collins really ready to retire? Or was she simply asked to resign retire? The world may never know.
Tracey Collins is also accused of failing to report luxury gifts from foreign government officials
Unfortunately, Tracey Collins' abrupt retirement may be the least of her worries. As reported by the New York Post, in the same complaints filed against her for being a "no-show" at work, the anonymous source also alleged that Collins had received "gifts in excess of 100K from a foreign government," and did not report "said gifts on her Conflicts of Interest disclosure." Ruh-roh.
The story goes that in January 2018, during a trip with Eric Adams to Budapest, both she and the mayor's airline tickets (of which she purchased) were upgraded to business class, to the tune of $14,000 — at no charge to them. Suspicious? We'll let you be the judge. Per the official indictment (via the New York Post), the upgrade was never listed on Adams' 2018 Conflict of Interest Board disclosures. Oopsie. Then, one year later in January 2019, during a trip to Turkey, Jordan, and Oman, Collins' economy airfare was once again upgraded to a lofty $7,000 business class seat. Maybe some gals just have all the luck? TBD, we suppose.