A judge on Sept. 26 unsealed a federal indictment against New York Mayor Eric Adams accusing him of taking bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources. Adams’s residence was searched earlier in the day.
The mayor, who became the first New York City mayor to be criminally charged while in office, issued a video statement on Sept. 25 denying the prosecutors’ claims. He signaled that he wouldn’t resign, describing the allegations as biased, “entirely false,” and “based on lies.”
In a press conference on Sept. 26 near Gracie Mansion after the indictment was unsealed, Adams again indicated that he wouldn’t resign as mayor.
“It’s an unfortunate day. And it’s a painful day. But inside all of that is a day when we will finally reveal why, for 10 months, I’ve gone through this. And I look forward to defending myself,” he said.
The unsealed indictment asserts that he “compounded his gains” from the illegal contributions from foreign government and business officials by exploiting the city’s matching funds program, which provides a match for small-dollar donations during campaigns.
His campaign received more than $10 million in matching public funds as a result of the false certifications, according to the indictment.
Adams and individuals acting “at his direction falsely certified compliance with applicable campaign finance regulations despite” the mayor’s acceptance of straw donations in campaigns, it states. He is also accused of using “the concealed nature of these illegal contributions to falsely portray his campaigns as law-abiding,” according to the indictment.
The mayor is also accused of soliciting and demanding bribes, including heavily discounted and free travel benefits from the Turkish official, according to prosecutors. The official had allegedly been seeking Adams’s assistance in evading regulations to commission the Turkish consulate in Manhattan.
According to the indictment, Adams at times accepted paying a “nominal fee” in an attempt to “create the appearance of having paid for travel that was in fact heavily discounted,” prosecutors wrote. On other occasions, he told others to “create fake paper trails, falsely suggesting that he had paid” or was planning to pay for travel-related benefits, they wrote.
Adams is accused of deleting messages with other individuals who were alleged to be involved in the scheme, the indictment states. In one instance, he told another person described as a co-conspirator by prosecutors that he “always” deleted her messages to him, prosecutors said.
In 2021, according to the indictment, the Turkish government official told the mayor that it was “his turn to repay” the official by “pressuring the New York City Fire Department [FDNY]” to allow the opening of the consulate building in Manhattan in time for a visit by Turkey’s president.
“At the time, the building would have failed an FDNY inspection,” prosecutors alleged.
After news spread that Adams was going to be charged, several Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who has a significant social media following, urged him to step down “for the good of the city.”
In a televised press conference on Sept. 26, U.S. Attorney Damien Williams said Adams violated the public’s trust, accusing him of engaging in a “long-running” corruption scheme dating back nearly a decade.
“This was a multi-year scheme to buy favor with a single New York City politician on the rise: Eric Adams,” he said, noting that Adams’s alleged illegal activities started in 2016 and lasted until at least 2021.
Specifically, he took “corrupt official action” when he allegedly pressured the FDNY to approve the Turkish consulate, Williams remarked.
New York has been in a state of political upheaval for the past month. Police Commissioner Edward Caban resigned on Sept. 12, a week after FBI agents seized his phone. Days later, Adams’s chief legal adviser resigned, saying she could “no longer effectively serve” in the position.
On Sept. 25, the city’s public schools chancellor, David Banks, said he would retire at the end of the year, weeks after The New York Times reported his phones were seized by federal agents.
If Adams decides to resign before his first term in office expires, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a Democrat, will succeed him as acting mayor.
The Epoch Times contacted the New York City mayor’s office for comment on Sept. 26 regarding the charges.
