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Eric Adams, mayor of New York City, was indicted on federal charges
The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, was indicted on federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. He is the first sitting mayor of the city to be charged with a federal crime.
Adams, a Democrat, insisted that he was innocent and that he would not resign, despite numerous calls from elected officials to do so. The indictment against him was unsealed yesterday morning after a search of the mayor’s official residence. Adams will appear later today for an arraignment, where he will be formally informed of his rights and will enter a plea, presumably of not guilty.
The investigation against him, which started in 2021, focused on whether Adams had conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal foreign campaign contributions in exchange for acting on its behalf. Prosecutors said the “multiyear scheme” began when he was a top elected official in Brooklyn and continued after he became mayor.
According to the indictment, Adams had “sought and accepted improper valuable benefits” since at least 2014. The benefits included luxury travel — free and discounted Turkish Airlines tickets and free meals and hotel rooms — from wealthy foreigners and at least one Turkish government official, prosecutors said.
Details: The U.S. attorney in Manhattan said Adams took more than $100,000 in graft. In exchange, he is accused of pressuring the New York Fire Department to allow the Turkevi Center, which houses the Turkish Consulate, to open despite defects in its fire safety system.
What’s next: There appear to be two ways Adams could be removed from office against his will. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat, could force him out. The second stems from a provision in the city’s charter that allows “a committee on mayoral inability,” made up of city officials, to remove him.
