NEW YORK: US federal prosecutors Thursday unveiled their bribery, fraud charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams following an overnight search in the mayor’s home and on his phone by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reported Xinhua.
According to an official court document from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, federal prosecutors have charged Adams with five counts of bribery, wire fraud and solicitation, primarily related to his mayoral campaign in 2021.
The indictment reveals Adams has been accepting “improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel,” for nearly a decade since his role as Brooklyn Borough President in 2014. Since then, as Adams climbed the ranks and eventually became mayor, he has sought and received illegal campaign donations and favorable treatment from foreign-national benefactors.
These illegal activities come in the form of “straw” contributions, by smuggling money from foreign entities through US citizens. These donations exceed the amount an individual can give to a campaign. Adams and his team matched the funds from his “straw donors,” and received more than US$10,000,000 in public funds, according to the indictment.
The document cites aid from the Turkish government and nationals, specifically a senior official, in arranging free travel on Turkish Airlines, hotels, meals and luxurious entertainment. In return, Adams would use his power in government to help Turkish influence in New York City. In 2021, he pressured the New York Fire Department to open a Turkish consulate building without proper fire inspection.
Adams is the first New York mayor to be indicted while in office. He continues to fight the indictment and has stated multiple times that he will not resign.
Adams said on Thursday that he would continue to serve as mayor and looks forward to defending himself against the charges.
“There’s no corruption. This is not a real case and we’re going to see everyone in court, hopefully tomorrow and not Monday,” said Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro. – BERNAMA-XINHUA
