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Mayor Adams pleads not guilty at first court appearance in historic corruption case
By
David Brand
,
Samantha Max
and
Bahar Ostadan
Published Sep 27, 2024
Modified Sep 27, 2024
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Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
By
David Brand
,
Samantha Max
and
Bahar Ostadan
Published Sep 27, 2024
Modified Sep 27, 2024
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Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty to charges that he traded political favors for illegal campaign cash and more than $100,000 in lavish travel gifts during his initial appearance in federal court on Friday afternoon.
Adams, the first modern New York City mayor charged with criminal offenses, faces five counts of bribery, wire fraud and soliciting illegal contributions from foreign donors dating back to his time as Brooklyn borough president up through his successful 2021 and ongoing 2025 mayoral campaigns.
“I am not guilty, your honor,” he told Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker in a federal courtroom in lower Manhattan.
The mayor looked straight ahead throughout his arraignment, which lasted about 20 minutes. Before the proceeding started, he snuck a glance at the gallery crowded with attorneys, reporters and a few members of the public.
Parker spoke slowly as she explained Adams’ rights and warned him that anything he said could be used against him. The judge asked if he had read the indictment, to which he quietly replied that he had. He declined Parker’s offer to read the entire 57-page document in court.
Parker agreed to release the mayor after his arraignment, but she cautioned that a warrant could be issued for his arrest if he misses future court appearances or violates any rules. She barred Adams from communicating with witnesses or individuals referenced in the indictment, with exceptions for family and staff. Prosecutors said they would provide a list of people to Adams’ attorney, so the mayor will know to limit his contact to routine business discussions or private family matters.
Adams is due back in court next Wednesday for a conference with Judge Dale Ho, who will be presiding over the case moving forward. The mayor’s defense attorney, Alex Spiro, said during the arraignment that he will file a motion to dismiss the case at that appearance. He also said he’ll request a speedy trial, should the charges stand.
Adams has denied any wrongdoing and vowed ahead of the court appearance to fight the charges.
“I know I don't violate the campaign [finance laws],” Adams said during a press conference outside Gracie Mansion Thursday. “I know I don't take money from foreign donors and I verbalize that to the team both in writing and in verbal communications.”
Following the arraignment Friday, he stood outside the federal courthouse and posed for photos, with roughly 10 law enforcement officials standing behind him. Adams declined to answer questions or give remarks before getting into a black SUV.
He could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all five counts in the indictment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A spokesperson for Adams referred questions Friday to his attorney. Spiro did not immediately respond to requests for comment but has condemned the government’s corruption case as an attention-grab based on flimsy evidence.
“They don’t have Eric Adams doing anything,” Spiro said Thursday.
The indictment, unsealed Thursday, details what prosecutors say was a yearslong effort by officials and businesspeople with ties to the Turkish government to ply Adams with free or heavily discounted luxury trips around the globe.
After Adams became the presumptive mayor in 2021, those same benefactors began to call in favors that Adams readily obliged, prosecutors say. The indictment alleges Adams pressured the FDNY to approve the opening of a Turkish consulate building despite insufficient safety measures ahead of a visit from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The indictment also describes Adams’ 2021 and 2025 mayoral campaigns seeking and receiving illegal contributions from foreign nationals and wealthy donors who prosecutors say filtered the money through employees or other intermediaries to skirt campaign finance laws. The donors banked on Adams’ continued rise in politics, with one Turkish businessman predicting he would become president and a useful asset, prosecutors say.
Prosecutors say the illegal campaign finance scheme continued after Adams became mayor. The indictment depicts Adams’ alleged efforts to mask the lavish gifts and illegal campaign cash by deleting text messages and changing the passcode on his cellphone before FBI agents seized his devices last year.
The indictment caps a monthslong investigation into Adams’ Turkish ties and campaign fundraising that first emerged after federal agents raided the homes of his campaign fundraiser and liaison to the Turkish community, along with the homes and officials of businesspeople connected to the Turkish government.
But the criminal case is just one of several problems faced by the mayor, his advisers and top city deputies.
Federal authorities are investigating ex-NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and other top police officials in connection with a nightlife business operated by Caban’s twin brother James. Edward Caban resigned in the wake of the investigation.
Earlier this month, authorities seized electronic devices from First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and her partner, outgoing Schools Chancellor David Banks, and raided the Queens home of Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, who is David Banks’ brother.
And in yet another probe, Brooklyn federal prosecutors are also investigating Adams’ longtime aide Winnie Greco, a liaison and fundraiser in New York City’s Chinese community.
None of the administration officials have been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the investigations.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the name of the judge who presided over Mayor Eric Adams's arraignment.
Tagged
Politics
eric adams
David Brand
David is a reporter covering housing for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 908-310-3960.
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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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Bahar Ostadan
Bahar Ostadan covers the NYPD and public safety. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or message Bahar on Signal at 646-740-7335.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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