The star of the event: then-state Sen. Eric Adams of Brooklyn.
Inside the polished mahogany confines of the elite venue, a powerful mix of elected officials, lobbyists and their clients mingled including two bidders seeking to run a casino at Queens’ Aqueduct Racetrack, a project Adams was involved in vetting.
It was a fundraiser, but it was also Adams’ birthday party: He’d turned 49 just two days before.
At one point during the celebration, Adams publicly thanked one of the Aqueduct bidders, according to a lobbyist who was there. Later, the lobbyist and his client one of the bidders wrote $11,500 in checks for Adams’ re-election campaign.