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Here's what's in the 5-count indictment against Mayor Adams
By
Samantha Max
and
Charles Lane
Published Sep 26, 2024
Modified Sep 26, 2024
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Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images. Composite by Gothamist.
By
Samantha Max
and
Charles Lane
Published Sep 26, 2024
Modified Sep 26, 2024
Share
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Mayor Eric Adams is accused of trading his power for international flights, luxurious hotel stays and illegal campaign contributions in a 57-page federal indictment unsealed on Thursday morning.
A federal grand jury indicted him on five counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, two counts of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and bribery. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York is prosecuting the case.
THE CHARGES
COUNT ONE: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals
Relates to claims that Adams accepted travel, gifts and campaign donations in exchange for favors for foreign nationals.
COUNT TWO: Wire fraud
Relates to accusations that Adams fraudulently accepted public matching funds for his campaign, when he knew they had been made by straw donors.
COUNTS THREE AND FOUR: Solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national
Relate to accusations that Adams sought campaign donations from foreign nationals, who are legally barred from contributing to U.S. campaigns.
COUNT FIVE: Bribery
Relates to claims that Adams accepted bribes from foreign nationals who wanted him to pressure the FDNY to allow a new Turkish consulate to open, even though the building would not have passed a fire inspection.
The charging papers are peppered with text messages between Adams, a staffer, a member of his campaign, Turkish nationals and others who prosecutors say attempted to circumvent campaign finance laws and hide misconduct.
In one case, the indictment describes a 2021 exchange between a staffer who was trying to book a last-minute flight to Istanbul for the mayor, and a Turkish airline manager who offered to charge the mayor just $50 for tickets worth about $15,000.
“His every step is being watched right now,” the staffer texted the airline manager, according to the indictment. “$1,000 or so[.] Let it be somewhat real. We don’t want them to say he is flying for free. At the moment, the media’s attention is on Eric.”
Screenshot from the 57 page indictment.
USA vs. Eric Adams
Prosecutors allege Adams sought and accepted illegal contributions from foreign nationals dating back to 2016, when he was Brooklyn borough president; that he used the illegal contributions to leverage millions of dollars in public matching funds; and that he continued the scheme after he was elected mayor and into his re-election campaign. The charging papers also chronicle extensive efforts prosecutors say Adams and others undertook to hide the pay-for-play scheme.
“To be o[n the] safe side Please Delete all messages you send me,” a staffer allegedly texted Adams in 2019, while discussing a possible trip to Turkey.
The indictment says Adams responded: “Always do.”
The lengthy indictment tells a sweeping tale about a politician who for years has accepted lavish gifts from Turkish nationals who expected — and sometimes demanded — that he use his influence to their benefit. The U.S. attorney’s office accuses Adams of taking business-class plane tickets worth tens of thousands of dollars, expensive meals and illegal donations, among other bribes. Prosecutors also allege that Adams omitted the gifts from financial disclosure forms and created fake paper trails to hide them.
The "Bentley Suite" at the St. Regis Istanbul, where the indictment claims Adams stayed in 2017. The suite normally costs $7,000 a night but Adams paid $600, the indictment says.
USA vs. Eric Adams
In return, the indictment alleges, Adams did favors for his Turkish associates, including:
- Pressuring the FDNY to allow Turkey’s new consulate to open before a high-profile trip by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, even though the 36-story skyscraper would not have passed a fire inspection at the time. An FDNY employee said in an email that the building had more than 60 defects and would not be safe to occupy.
- Agreeing not to make any public statements about the Armenian Genocide on a memorial day in 2022, at the behest of a Turkish official.
- Appointing a Turkish airline manager to his transition team.
A slide from the Adams indictment. Left: The Turkish House, which houses the Turkish consulate in NYC. Right: A list of what prosecutors say are Adams’ undisclosed travel benefits.
United States v. Eric Adams
The indictment also accuses Adams of accepting straw donations from a construction businessman described as a prominent member of a different ethnic community. Prosecutors say he sought help arranging national heritage events and resolving issues with the city's Department of Buildings.
“I always supported you,” the businessman allegedly texted Adams when asking him to clear up stop-work orders for his construction business. About a week-and-a-half later, he texted again that the issue was partially resolved. “Thank you, you have my continued support,” he wrote.
Excerpt from the 57 page indictment.
USA vs. Eric Adams
Allegations of cover-up
Throughout the indictment, prosecutors accuse Adams and his circle of trying to conceal what they were doing. Many of the allegations are accompanied by text messages between Adams, a staffer, a fundraiser and those attempting to curry his favor.
When a Turkish airline manager recommends that Adams stay at the Four Seasons during a trip to Turkey, a staffer says in a message that it’s too expensive, according to the indictment.
“Why does he care?” the filing quotes the airline manager replying. “He is not going to pay[.] His name will not be on anything either[.]”
“Super[,]” the Adams staffer allegedly responds.
Excerpt from the 57 page indictment.
USA vs. Eric Adams
Prosecutors say Adams answered “no” when asked if he had received gifts worth $50 or more from anyone who had business with New York City, even though he allegedly accepted far more from people seeking his political sway.
The indictment also describes a panic when federal agents executed search warrants and seized electronic devices last fall. The U.S. attorney’s office says Adams campaign fundraiser Brianna Suggs called the mayor five times while FBI agents knocked on her door, and that the mayor rushed back from a trip to D.C. Prosecutors say she also refused to tell law enforcement who paid for a 2021 trip to Turkey.
When agents interviewed one of Adams’ staffers, according to the indictment, she excused herself to the bathroom and deleted encrypted messaging apps she had used to communicate with Adams and Turkish nationals. Agents also struggled to get information from Adams’ phone when they confronted the mayor near NYU’s campus and seized his electronic devices days after raiding the fundraiser’s home, the indictment says.
Adams told the FBI that he had just changed the password on his phone and extended it from four digits to six, but he couldn’t remember his new code, according to the indictment.
Adams is the first sitting mayor to be charged with a crime in modern New York City history. His indictment comes almost a year after FBI agents raided Suggs' home, putting the investigation in the spotlight.
In recent weeks, federal officials have also searched the residences of various members of Adams’ inner circle, including the home shared by First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Schools Chancellor David Banks, as well as the home of Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks, who is David Banks' brother.
At a press conference on Thursday morning, Adams urged the public to wait to hear his side of the story before judging the allegations.
The Cosmopolitan Suite living room at the St, Regis Istanbul, where the indictment claims Adams stayed in 2019 as the guest of a Turkish entrepreneur.
USA vs. Eric Adams
“I look forward to defending myself and defending the people of this city, as I’ve done throughout my entire professional career,” he said.
The mayor’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Even before learning of the specific charges against him, Adams said in a video statement on Wednesday night that any allegations would be “entirely false, based on lies.”
“I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit,” he said.
This story has been updated with additional information. Bahar Ostadan contributed to this story.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
Politics
Adams investigations
Samantha Max
Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal: samanthamaxwnyc.93.
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Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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