NYC Mayor Adams appears in court over bribery allegations: What to know

NEW YORK CITY - New York City Mayor Eric Adams returned 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 made a 10:30 a.m. appearance before a judge at a federal courthouse in Manhattan, where federal prosecutors said they might bring additional charges against the mayor and indict others in the corruption case against him.

According to prosecutors, the travel perks were arranged by a senior Turkish diplomatic official in New York and Turkish businesspeople who wanted to gain influence with Adams.

The indictment alleges that Adams also conspired to receive illegal donations to his political campaigns from foreign sources who weren’t allowed to give money to U.S. political candidates.

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.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten told Judge Dale Ho that it is "quite likely" prosecutors will seek a superseding indictment and that it is "likely" additional defendants will be charged and "possible" that more charges will be brought against Adams.

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.

• MORE: Mayor Adams accepted harmless 'courtesies,' not bribes, his lawyer says
• MORE: How Mayor Adams' indictment could affect the 2024 election

Adams is seeking to dismiss part of the case. His lawyers filed court papers Monday asking to throw out the bribery charge against him. They contend that Adams' flights, upgrades, meals and hotel rooms were not bribes under federal law.

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."

The Associated Press wire services helped contribute to this report.