New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on charges that he took illegal campaign contributions and bribes from foreign nationals in exchange for favours that included helping Turkish officials get fire safety approvals for a new diplomatic building in the city.
Adams, a former police officer, faces conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery charges in a five-count indictment that describes a decade-long trail of crimes.
The US attorney’s office in Manhattan alleges in the indictment that Adams “not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions” to his mayoral campaign. A senior official in the Turkish diplomatic establishment “facilitated many straw donations” to Adams and arranged for Adams and his companions to receive free or discounted travel on Turkey’s national airline to destinations including France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary, and Turkey, the indictment alleges.
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Adams “compounded his gains” from the illegal campaign contributions by gaming the city’s matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small dollar donations. His campaign received more than $US10,000 ($14,500) in matching funds as a result of the false certifications, according to the indictment.
Adams allegedly “solicited and demanded” bribes, including free and heavily discounted luxury travel benefits from a Turkish official, the indictment alleges, noting that the official was seeking Adams’ help pertaining to regulations of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan. Adams created and instructed others to create fake paper trails in order to falsely suggest he had paid for travel benefits that were actually free, prosecutors allege. He also deleted messages with others involved in his misconduct, at one point assuring a co-conspirator that he “always” deleted her text messages, according to the indictment.
The charges were made public hours after FBI agents entered the mayor’s official residence and seized his phone early Thursday.
“Federal agents appeared this morning at Gracie Mansion in an effort to create a spectacle [again] and take Mayor Adams phone [again],” Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, said in a statement hours before the indictment was made public. “They send a dozen agents to pick up a phone when we would have happily turned it in.”
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In a video speech released on Wednesday night, Adams vowed to fights any charges against him, claiming he had been made a “target” in a case “based on lies”.
“I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit,” he said.
The indictment caps off an extraordinary few weeks in New York City, as federal investigators have honed in on members of Adams’ inner circle, producing a drum-beat of raids, subpoenas and high-level resignations that have thrust City Hall into crisis.
The US attorney’s office in Manhattan has declined to comment on the investigation, though it said it would announce “significant public corruption charges” at an 11.30am news conference. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment. A spokesperson for the mayor did not immediately respond to questions Thursday morning.
Adams spent 22 years in New York City’s police department before going into politics, first as a state senator and then as Brooklyn borough president. He was elected as the city’s second Black mayor in 2021.
In a video speech released Wednesday night, Adams vowed to fight any charges against him, claiming he had been made a “target” in a case “based on lies”.
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Governor Kathy Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office. Her spokesperson, Avi Small, issued a statement late Wednesday that said “Governor Hochul is aware of these concerning news reports and is monitoring the situation. It would be premature to comment further until the matter is confirmed by law enforcement.”
The indictment caps off an extraordinary few weeks in New York City, as federal investigators have homed in on members of Adams’ inner circle, producing a drum-beat of raids, subpoenas and high-level resignations.
Federal prosecutors are believed to be leading multiple, separate inquiries involving Adams and his senior aides, relatives of those aides, campaign fundraising and possible influence peddling of the police and fire departments.
In the last two weeks alone, the city’s police commissioner and head of the school’s system have announced their resignations.
FBI agents had seized Adams’ electronic devices nearly a year ago as part of an investigation focused, at least partly, on campaign contributions and Adams’ interactions with the Turkish government. Because the charges were sealed, it was unknown whether they dealt with those same matters.
In early September, federal investigators seized devices from his police commissioner, schools chancellor, two deputy mayors and other trusted confidants both in and out of City Hall.
All have denied wrongdoing.
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