Here Are the Charges Against Eric Adams
The criminal indictment unveiled last September against Mayor Eric Adams of New York City — which the Trump administration has now requested be dropped — accused him of abusing his office to obtain free and discounted travel and illegal foreign campaign contributions for himself.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, then led by U.S. attorney Damian Williams, charged Mr. Adams in a five-count indictment with conspiracy, wire fraud, soliciting illegal foreign campaign contributions from foreign nationals, and bribery. The indictment was the first against a sitting mayor in modern New York City history.
Mr. Adams pleaded not guilty and said he had done nothing wrong. He claimed the case had been brought because as mayor he criticized the Biden administration for its handling of the migrant crisis.
The Southern District prosecution team responded that the investigation had begun long before that, saying in a recent court filing that Mr. Adams had made 'shifting attempts to suggest that he was indicted for any reason other than his crimes.'
Over 57 pages, the indictment described a scheme that prosecutors said dated to 2014, when Mr. Adams became Brooklyn borough president. They accused him of currying favor with Turkish officials and wealthy foreign businesspeople while accepting at least $123,000 in flight upgrades and airline tickets.
Mr. Adams flew to France, China, Sri Lanka, China and elsewhere on Turkish Airlines, which is controlled by the Turkish government, without reporting the benefits as gifts on city disclosure forms, according to the indictment. He was accused of continuing the scheme after taking office as mayor in 2022.
In exchange, prosecutors said, Mr. Adams pressured the New York City Fire Department to speed the approval of a new 36-story Turkish consulate in Midtown Manhattan despite safety concerns ahead of a visit by the Turkish president in late 2021. Mr. Adams said he had only tried to help a constituent in that episode, the basis of the federal bribery charge.
And through 'straw donors,' Mr. Adams also received foreign contributions from wealthy foreign businesspeople who were not legally permitted to give to his campaign, the indictment charged. By soliciting those illegal donations, Mr. Adams fraudulently obtained millions of dollars in public matching funds for his campaign, prosecutors said.
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