NYC Mayor Eric Adams indicted on 5 federal public corruption charges, including bribery and wire fraud

By: CNN

Posted: Sep 26, 2024 4:53 PM EDT
Updated: Sep 26, 2024 7:10 PM EDT

Spencer Platt/Getty Images/File via CNN Newsource

By Evan Perez, Mark Morales, Kara Scannell, Brynn Gingras, Gloria Pazmino, Eric Levenson, Artemis Moshtaghian, Nicki Brown and Jeff Winter

(CNN) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on five federal charges related to bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, according to a 57-page indictment unsealed Thursday morning.

The indictment alleges illegal actions stretching back to 2014, from when he was Brooklyn Borough president.

“For nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him,” the indictment reads.

Specifically, Adams received luxury travel and other benefits from a Turkish official and later in exchange pressured the NYC Fire Department to open a Turkish consular building without a fire inspection, the indictment says.

The mayor “engaged in a long-running conspiracy,” Damian Williams, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Thursday.

“Mayor Adams took these contributions even though he knew they were illegal,” Williams said. “He knew these contributions were attempts by a Turkish government official and Turkish businessmen to buy influence with him.”

Adams is scheduled to have his first court appearance at noon Friday.

Adams said Thursday morning he was not surprised by the charges and encouraged the public to “wait to hear our defense before making any judgments,” adding he would not be changing his day-to-day responsibilities in light of the indictment.

“I look forward to defending myself and defending the people of this city as I’ve done throughout my entire professional career,” Adams said.

Adams’ attorney defended his client, saying the mayor told his staffers not to accept foreign money.

“The travel, the expenses, the flight they talk about is in 2017 – seven years ago, five years before he is mayor,” Alex Spiro said outside the mayor’s official residence, Gracie Mansion, with the mayor at his side. “There is nothing illegal or improper about that, but they don’t want you to look at that too long.”

In an email to city employees Thursday, Adams claimed innocence and asked them to remain focused on New Yorkers.

“While my legal team thoroughly reviews the allegations that were just released publicly, let me be very clear, I know I’ve done nothing wrong. I am committed to continuing to fight on behalf of New Yorkers as your mayor,” the email reads in part.

The indictment represents a dramatic fall from grace for the mayor of America’s largest city and a stunning accusation against one of the nation’s most high-profile offices a year ahead of the next mayoral election.

Adams, a former NYPD captain, took office in January 2022 and presented himself as the new face of the Democratic Party, promising a tough-on-crime approach and a commitment to revitalizing the city after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yet he has struggled to resolve the city’s key challenges, such as the migrant crisis and concerns about subway safety, and has faced criticism for his late-night partying and clashes over city spending, particularly on education. He once described himself as “the Biden of Brooklyn,” but he has increasingly criticized the Biden administration and the federal government over its handling of immigration issues.

Now, nearly three years into his first term, Adams’ political career is in jeopardy, and several prominent New York political figures, including Democratic US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have already called for his resignation. If he were to resign, the job of America’s most high-profile mayor would go to the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, until a special election.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove the mayor, but sources say she is not considering it at this point. Adams could also be removed through an “inability committee,” according to the city charter. The committee would include the city’s top lawyer, a post that is currently vacant. City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is currently running against Adams, would also have a spot on the committee, along with the speaker of the City Council, one deputy mayor selected by the mayor and the borough president who has served the most consecutive years in office.

New York Attorney General Letitia James called the allegations against Adams “serious and troubling” in a statement Thursday.

“Public servants have a responsibility to represent the people and their interests, and we must hold ourselves to the highest standards every single day,” James said.

What the indictment alleges

The indictment alleges Adams received gifts and accepted illegal contributions to his campaign.

In 2018, when Adams had announced his plans to run for New York City mayor in 2021, he allegedly accepted and sought illegal campaign contributions to his upcoming mayoral campaign, the indictment says.

Businesses also circumvented the city’s ban on corporate contributions “by funneling their donations through multiple employees,” according to the indictment.

A senior in the Turkish diplomatic establishment, who “facilitated many straw donations” to the mayor, also arranged for him and his posse to receive free or discounted travel on Turkey’s national airline, which is owned “in significant part” by the Turkish government, according to the indictment.

Adams and his companions also received free rooms at “opulent hotels,” free meals at high-end restaurants, and free “luxurious entertainment” while in Turkey, court documents say.

Adams did not disclose the travel benefits, as required of New York City employees, the indictment alleges.

In September 2021, the Turkish official told Adams “it was his turn to repay” him by pressuring the NYC Fire Department to “facilitate the opening of a new Turkish consular building” without a fire inspection, the indictment alleges.

Adams then pressured the FDNY to approve the building, the indictment alleges.

Further, the indictment states that Adams and co-conspirators tried to conceal their conduct, including by deleting messages and changing his phone password.

Investigators search his official residence

The New York Times was first to report the news of the indictment on Wednesday night.

Adams was at Gracie Mansion when word of the indictment broke. Adams had not been formally informed of the indictment when the news broke, multiple sources told CNN.

In the immediate, the mayor is expected to have several days to turn himself in, according to sources familiar with the case. He’s not expected to appear in court Thursday. Prosecutors previously informed his attorneys that if charged, he would be summoned to surrender at a future date, multiple sources told CNN.

On Thursday morning, federal investigators went to Gracie Mansion and are believed to have executed a search warrant and served the mayor with a summons, according to a law enforcement official. They spent more than three hours inside, according to a source.

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Adams, criticized the search, saying it was “an effort to create a spectacle” and take the mayor’s phone “when he would have happily turned it in.”

“He has not been arrested and looks forward to his day in court,” Spiro said.

Lawyers for Adams met with senior officials of the Justice Department last week in a bid to stave off federal criminal charges, sources familiar with the meeting told CNN.

The meeting between Adams lawyers Boyd Johnson and Brendan MacGuire came after they met with the US attorney’s office in Manhattan and were told prosecutors planned to seek an indictment of the mayor, the sources said.

Prosecutors in Washington informed the mayor’s attorneys their appeal was denied, the sources said.

The US attorney’s office is conducting the investigation, but because Adams is a sitting politician, the Justice Department would be involved in any decision to file charges.

Legal troubles escalated in September

The mayor’s legal troubles began last year but escalated this month when top members of his staff at City Hall, including two deputy mayors, a senior adviser and the schools chancellor, received search warrants and had their phones seized by federal investigators.

The first sign of trouble for Adams came in November 2023 when federal investigators zeroed in on his chief campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, and executed a search warrant at her home, law enforcement officials previously told CNN. Suggs has not been charged with any crimes.

The investigations accelerated earlier this month. Edward Caban, the New York Police Department commissioner, had his phone seized as part of a separate federal investigation and was forced to resign. Days later, Lisa Zornberg, City Hall’s top lawyer and one of Adams’ staunchest defenders, abruptly resigned. In a brief two-sentence resignation letter, Zornberg stated that she had concluded she could “no longer serve effectively” in her position.

A week later, Schools Chancellor David Banks’ home was searched by federal investigators who seized his cell phones during the execution of a search warrant. He then announced he would retire from his position leading the nation’s largest public school system at the end of the year.

This story has been updated with additional information.