Mayor of New York City Eric Adams According to a 57-page federal indictment unsealed Thursday, he was hit with five federal charges, including wire fraud, bribery and solicitation of contributions from a foreign national.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York accuse the Democrat of soliciting and accepting lavish international trips from wealthy foreign businessmen and at least one Turkish government official for nearly a decade in exchange for official favors.
The indictment alleges that while serving as Brooklyn Borough President in 2017, Adams owned a St. Regis has accepted a great discount stay in Istanbul.
The Bentley Suite would have cost about $7,000 for two nights, Adams paid less than $600, the indictment said. As an elected official, he did not disclose his visit.
According to the indictment, Adams also received more than $100,000 in free or discounted travel on Turkey’s national airline, free meals at high-end restaurants in Turkey and free “luxurious entertainment.” Prosecutors say Adams kept fake paper trails and deleted messages to hide his misconduct — in one case convincing the conspirator that he “always” deleted his messages.
“As Adams’ fame and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on his corrupt connections with him, particularly when it became clear that Adams would run for mayor of New York in 2021,” the indictment said. “Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for an illegal benefit he received.”
Among the alleged favors, prosecutors said, was Adams’ attempt to pressure the New York Fire Department after he became mayor in September 2021 to allow Turkey’s new consulate to open despite safety concerns.
The building could not pass inspection, but the FDNY’s building safety officer was told he would lose his job if he did not comply with the mayor’s demands. So the building was opened at the request of a Turkish official who gave Adams travel allowances and other gifts, the indictment said.
In addition to free travel and hotel rooms, Adams received illegal campaign contributions from foreign donors, including a Turkish government official, the indictment alleges.
“Year after year, he kept the public in the dark,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said at a news conference. “He told the public that he had not received any gifts, even though he secretly received them.”
The Turkish Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The charge was announced a few hours later the bewildered mayor swore “To fight this with all my might and soul” – and a growing number of prominent politicians called for his resignation.
Details of the criminal case come at a time of extraordinary turmoil for the Adams administration. In the past two weeks alone, the city’s police commissioner, attorney general and schools rector have announced their resignations.
The mayor has been facing questions about four federal investigations targeting his administration for months.
“We are not surprised. We’ve been waiting for this,” Adams said at a press conference shortly after the indictment was unsealed. “I’m asking New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any decisions.”
He said the charges were an “unfortunate” and “painful” day. “But despite all that, it’s a day that will finally reveal why I’ve been living this for 10 months,” he said. “I look forward to defending myself and defending the people of this city.”
The indictment came hours after FBI agents searched Adams’ home at Gracie Mansion and seized his phone a second time, his attorney said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., became the most high-profile politician to call on Adams to resign on Wednesday.. Several others followed, including City Comptroller Brad Lander and state Sen. John Liu, D-Queens.
But New York’s most powerful political figures – Senator Chuck Schumer, who is the leader of the majority in the Senate; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Gov. Kathy Hochul did not immediately join others in calling for Adams to resign.
In a statement Thursday morning, a spokeswoman for Hochul, which has the authority to fire Adams, called the reports “concerning” but declined to comment further “until the matter is confirmed by law enforcement.”
Last November, FBI agents seized phones and iPads It belonged to Adams during an ongoing investigation into his campaign fundraising. Part of the investigation is believed to focus on whether Adams’ mayoral campaign colluded with the Turkish government to receive illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources.
Then, earlier this month, federal investigators in a separate investigation searched the homes of several high-ranking officials near Adams and seized phones. Police commissioner Edward Kaban is among those whose phone was confiscated resigned September 12.
Authorities also seized the phone of James Caban, Caban’s twin brother, a former police officer who owns a nightclub security business. Federal investigators were looking into whether bars and clubs in Manhattan and downtown Queens paid James Caban to contact the police and whether those clubs received special treatment from local precincts.
The Adams administration also faced a challenge public corruption investigation another federal investigation that resulted in searches of the homes involved Adams’ former director of Asian affairs.
Adams has repeatedly said his administration is cooperating with the investigation and that he is focused on his job as mayor.
In a videotaped statement released late Wednesday, Adams remained defiant, saying any charges against him would be “absolutely false based on lies.”
“Make no mistake,” Adams added, “you elected me to lead this city, and I will lead it.”