NYC Mayor Adams due in court over bribery allegations: What to know
NEW YORK CITY - New York City Mayor Eric Adams is set to return to court today in a case where he's accused of taking bribes and illegal campaign contributions.
JUMP TO: CHARGES l ACCUSATIONS l INDICTMENT
Adams is set to make a 10:30 a.m. appearance before a judge at a federal courthouse in Manhattan, just a few blocks from City Hall.
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Eric Adams indictment unsealed: Read details, charges
NYC Mayor Eric Adams is accused of accepting illegal campaign donations among other charges in a sweeping indictment unsealed by federal officials Thursday.
The proceeding isn't expected to involve a deep exploration of the evidence. A judge could set a preliminary timetable for the trial.
What are the charges?
- Count 1: Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Federal Program Bribery, and to Receive Campaign Contributions By Foreign Nationals
- Count 2: Wire Fraud
- Count 3: Solicitation of a Contribution by a Foreign National
- Count 4: Solicitation of a Contribution by a Foreign National
- Count 5: Bribery
What is Adams accused of?
Adams is accused of, among other allegations:
- Raking in more than $10,000 from illegal contributions by using false certifications to game the city’s matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small dollar donations.
- Working with a Turkish senior official who "facilitated many straw donations" to Adams and arranged for Adams and his companions to receive free or discounted travel on Turkey’s national airline to destinations including France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary, and Turkey.
- "Solicit[ing] and demand[ing]" bribes, including free and heavily discounted luxury travel benefits from a Turkish official. who was seeking Adams’ help pertaining to regulations of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan.
- Failing to disclose his free and discounted travel, creating a false paper trail to suggest he had paid it, claiming to a staffer that he deleted his text messages and directed the staffer to ensure his activities in Turkey in 2021 were shielded from public view.
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Feds timeline of 'overt acts' allegedly committed by Eric Adams
Adams is accused of taking bribes and illegal contributions for favors from 2014, as Brooklyn Borough President, to 2022. Here's the timeline.
The indictment describes a 2021 incident where Adams reportedly asked for deeply discounted business class tickets to Turkey, luxury hotel stays, and transportation, which included a domestic flight and a car with a driver.
When asked by the airline manager how much they should charge, Adams' staffer allegedly responded "…$1,000 or so. Let it be somewhat real."
Read the indictment below
Adams has denied knowingly accepting any illegal campaign contributions. He also said there was nothing improper about the trips he took abroad or the perks he received, and that any help he gave to Turkish officials regarding the diplomatic building was just routine "constituent services." He has said helping people navigate the city's bureaucracy was part of his job.
A spokesperson for Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oncu Keceli, said in a statement that the country's missions in the U.S. and elsewhere operate according to international diplomatic rules and that "Our meddling in another country’s internal affairs is out of the question."
- MORE: Mayor Adams accepted harmless 'courtesies,' not bribes, his lawyer says
- MORE: How Mayor Adams' indictment could affect the 2024 election
It was unclear whether the court would schedule a trial in advance of New York's June mayoral primary, where Adams is likely to face several challengers.
The Associated Press wire services helped contribute to this report.