Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice issued an indictment against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Federal prosecutors charged him with bribery, wire fraud, and soliciting contributions by foreign nationals. He also faces a charge of conspiracy to commit those crimes.
The indictment focuses on the mayor’s allegedly corrupt involvement with Turkish nationals. It claims that a Turkish diplomat provided Adams with perks such as free or discounted travel on Turkish Airlines and free hotel rooms, meals, and entertainment in Turkey. This allegedly dated back to 2016, when he was the borough president of Brooklyn. Moreover, Adams allegedly solicited illegal contributions from foreign (Turkish) nationals to his 2021 campaign. The indictment claims that he planned to do this again in 2025. In addition, Adams allegedly stole public funds by using the illegal contributions as a basis for matching funds for his campaign. (Only donations from New York City residents should have served as a basis for matching funds.)
In exchange for these benefits, Adams allegedly abused his authority in ways that favored Turkey. The most notable incident described in the indictment involves a consulate that Turkey opened in New York City in 2021. The indictment claims that Adams urged the New York City Fire Department to let the building open in time for a planned visit by the President of Turkey. The Fire Department bowed to this demand and allowed the building to open, even though it would have failed an inspection. In a separate, more symbolic incident, Adams refrained from making a statement during an event honoring victims of the Armenian genocide.
Adams allegedly responded to the investigation, which started last year, by changing the password on his cell phone. He claimed that he meant to preserve its contents for the investigation by preventing others from deleting them. However, Adams then told investigators that he had forgotten the new password, so he was unable to unlock the phone.
A former police officer, Adams is the first sitting mayor of New York City to face criminal charges. If he is convicted, he could face up to 45 years (essentially the rest of his life) behind bars. On Friday, though, Adams pleaded not guilty, and his attorney asked the court on Monday to dismiss the bribery charge. As the case proceeds, the mayor can stay out of custody without bail if he meets certain conditions imposed by the court. He has maintained that he will stay in office, rejecting calls from other Democrats to step down. However, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has the authority to remove him and has stated that she is considering her options.
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