New York City Mayor, Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charges alleging that he took bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources.
The charges stem from an investigation into Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign and his ties to Turkish government officials
US Attorneys in the Southern District of New York unveiled a sprawling five-count indictment against Adams, accusing him of seeking and accepting “illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals.”
Adams is the first sitting New York City Mayor to be criminally charged.
In a five-count criminal indictment, US prosecutors allege that before and during his terms as Mayor, Adams “sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him.”
The criminal counts against Adam include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals, wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national.
The complaint focuses on trips Adams and his partner took to Turkey, India and Ghana on Turkish airlines, sometimes staying in luxury hotels, that as an elected official, should have been disclosed to the government and campaign contributions made by Turkish officials through a system of “straw” donors.
It is alleged that Adams “did not disclose the travel benefits he had obtained in annual financial disclosures he was required to file as a New York City employee.”
The indictment alleged that Adams “compounded his gains” from the illegal contributions by gaming the city’s matching funds programme, which provides a generous match for small dollar donations.
According to the indictment, his campaign received more than $10,000 in matching funds as a result of the false certifications.
“Adams increased his fundraising by accepting these concealed, illegal donations – at he costs of giving his secret patrons the undue influence over him that the law tries to prevent,” federal prosecutors said.
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’s help pertaining to regulations of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan.
FBI agents entered the mayor’s official residence and seized his phone early today, Thursday, September 26, 2024, hours before the indictment was made public.
The indictment caps off an extraordinary few weeks in New York City, as federal investigators have honed in on members of Adams’s inner circle, producing a drum-beat of raids, subpoenas and high-level resignations that have thrust City Hall into crisis
US Attorney Damien Williams said in a press conference on Thursday that Adams has a “long-running” history of corruption.
Adams Not Surprised By Indictment
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor, Eric Adams said he was “not surprised” by the charges.
In a video speech released Wednesday night, Adams promised to fight any charges against him, claiming he had been made a “target” in a case “based on lies.”
“I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target – and a target I became. If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”
Eric Adams
He also declared he would not step down from his position as the top official in New York City.
“I have been facing these lies for months … yet the city has continued to improve,” Adams said.
He added, “Make no mistake. You elected me to lead this city and lead it I will.”
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