He first became involved in Brooklyn politics through the Thomas Jefferson Club in Canarsie, where he met Frank Seddio, his future business partner.[8] In 2008 they formed a firm that merged with the New York law firm Abrams Fensterman in 2011.[1] In 2011, Carone was named counsel[8] to the Brooklyn Democratic Party,[8][3] serving as their "top lawyer", according to the New York Times.[2]
By 2019, he was known in the press as a "longtime ally" of then Brooklyn Mayor Bill de Blasio. That year, an eminent domain deal between de Blasio's administration and the Podolsky family came under scrutiny for potential conflicts of interest, as Carone was assisting the Podolsky family as counsel.[10] de Blasio and Carone denied discussing the real estate deal together.[1]
As Chief of Staff, Carone continued to be scrutinized for possible breaches of ethics. For example, Carone's practice of holding official meetings at private clubs and high-end restaurants attracted criticism in the press.[11][3] In May 2022 it was reported that Carone had held investments in Wrap Technologies between 2017 and 2021, and that Adams had praised Wrap Technologies' policing products during that same period. In response to arguments that Carone should have revealed his investments publicly, both Carone and Adams denied they'd conversed about the company together.[2]
Stating that he planned on serving as a chairman on Adams' 2025 re-election campaign,[11] he left his post as Chief of Staff in December 2022.[12][9] Upon retiring from Adams' administration, city law prevented Carone from directly lobbying City Hall for one year.[7] Shortly after Carone retired, New York City Council member Lincoln Restler proposed legislation to extend the one year ban to two years, with Politico writing that among lawmakers, the bill was "widely viewed as a way to limit Carone's influence."[13]
Oaktree
In January 2023[12] he launched Oaktree Solutions.[7] Carone was also "planning to stay involved in politics" by working with Representative Hakeem Jeffries as the politician "looks to take back the House of Representatives."[7] By March 2023, the firm represented clients such as Northwell Health, New York Giants player Saquon Barkley,[12] and the real estate company Durst Organization.[9] In 2023, Carone was working with SL Green on a bid to open a casino in Times Square.[14]
Carone and his wife Diana live in Brooklyn, New York.[8]
In February 2022, he was subpoenaed for documents in a federal civil racketeering suit filed by Geico against several medical clinics. Bloomberg reported that Carone was not named as a defendant.[15]
