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Mayor Adams surrenders to feds ahead of 1st court appearance
By
David Brand
Published Sep 27, 2024
Modified Sep 27, 2024
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Timothy Clary/AFP
By
David Brand
Published Sep 27, 2024
Modified Sep 27, 2024
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Mayor Eric Adams turned himself in to federal authorities Friday ahead of his first court appearance on charges he traded political favors for illegal campaign contributions and more than $100,000 in luxury travel perks.
Adams, the first New York City mayor in modern history to be criminally indicted, arrived at the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan before 9 a.m. for processing as a criminal defendant. He gave a thumbs-up as he entered the building.
He was due to appear before a magistrate judge at noon.
A spokesperson for Adams referred questions to the mayor’s attorney, Alex Spiro, who did not respond to inquiries.
“There is no corruption,” Spiro previously told reporters. “This is not a real case.”
The five-count indictment, unsealed Thursday, describes a years-long bribery scheme in which prosecutors say Adams accepted lavish gifts, like free or cut-rate airfare and luxury hotel stays, from officials and businesspeople with ties to the Turkish government.
When Adams became the presumptive mayor in 2021, those same officials started calling in favors, prosecutors say. Adams pressured the Fire Department to approve the opening of a Turkish consulate building despite insufficient safety measures, prosecutors allege.
The indictment also alleges Adams’ 2021 and 2025 mayoral campaigns solicited illegal contributions from foreign nationals and wealthy donors who funneled money through employees or other intermediaries to skirt campaign finance laws. Prosecutors say the foreign donors scheme, involving the use of straw donors, continued after Adams became mayor.
Adams has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight the charges. He rejected mounting calls for him to resign, pledging that his day to day management of the city will not change.
“Everyone who knows me knows I follow campaign rules and I follow the law,” Adams said during a press conference outside Gracie Mansion Thursday.
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Adams investigations
Politics
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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