Agents from the FBI Newark Division conducted law enforcement activity at the Newark Housing Authority on Tuesday, an agency spokesperson confirmed.

The spokesperson did not elaborate on the nature of agents' visit to the housing authority's offices on 500 Broad Street, telling NJ Advance Media only that agents were there on "official business."

Victor Cirilo, executive director of the Newark Housing Authority, said he was not aware of the FBI action.

"No one from the FBI has contacted the housing authority, its officials or myself," Cirilo said. "We welcome any inquiries and provide any information to law enforcement agencies that wish to assess our work."

The Newark Housing Authority receives federal funding to operate 52 public housing sites in the city. Mayor Ras Baraka appoints a majority of its Board of Commissioners.

Board chairman Edward Osborne, who is also a Newark Councilman-At-Large, said he had no immediate comment. Frank Baraff, a spokesman for the city, said the NHA was an agency independent of the city and declined to comment further.

While the nature of federal investigators' interest in the housing authority was not immediately clear, the public corruption unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey has in recent months obtained guilty pleas from two former consultants to the city and Baraka's campaign as a result of investigations by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, and Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General.

Kiburi Tucker, the son of state Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker, and Linda Jumah will be sentenced this month after pleading guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose Linares to tax evasion charges.

Tucker, a previously convicted felon, also pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge that carries a maximum potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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