Lawyers for New York City Mayor Eric Adams asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss the bribery charges in his federal indictment, saying the government’s allegations were “extraordinarily vague” and that they could not prove Adams broke the law.
Adams was indicted last week on five felony counts, including bribery, wire fraud and solicitation of contributions from a foreign national.
On Friday, he pleaded not guilty, vowing to fight the charges and remain mayor. He is the first New York City mayor to face criminal charges in modern times.
In a 25-page filing, Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, said prosecutors failed to show the mayor accepted bribes for allegedly pressuring the New York Fire Department to allow the Turkish consulate to open despite serious security concerns.
“The indictment in this case alleges a “bribery” scheme that does not fit the definition of bribery and is not actually a federal crime at all,” Spiro said, citing a recent Supreme Court decision that complicated the case. federal government to prosecute public officials for corruption.
“The zealous prosecutors who secured the indictment would have claimed this kind of special deal if they had any evidence to support it,” Spiro added. “But they don’t, and they know Adams never entered into such an agreement.”
Instead, Adams’ lawyer said, the lawsuit against the mayor “involves many of the normal and perfectly legal actions that any city official would take for the consulate of an important foreign country.”
In the indictment, prosecutors alleged that Adams accepted illegal campaign contributions, airline upgrades and luxury hotel stays from Turkish citizens and at least one government official in exchange for political favors.
Still, the defense attorney argues that the remaining counts in the indictment are “equally without merit” because they are based on “a series of false allegations attributed to a clearly self-serving employee.” litigation.
“This is not a real case and it should be dismissed,” Spiro told reporters at a news conference after filing the motion. He also said the city has not paid Adams’ legal bills.
US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams declined to comment on the defense’s motion to dismiss the bribery charge.
“Anything we say from now on will be in our court filings,” Williams said.
Adams is due back in court for a hearing on Wednesday.
Jonathan Dienst and Adam Reiss contributed.