New York mayor charged in fraud and bribery scheme from Türkiye

US prosecutors on Thursday accused New York Mayor Eric Adams of accepting illegal campaign contributions and luxury trips from Turkish citizens seeking to influence him, in an investigation that has engulfed the government of America’s largest city. in the chaos.

In a 57-page indictment, prosecutors lay out an alleged scheme dating back to 2014 that helped finance Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign and provided him with free rooms at opulent hotels and meals at luxury restaurants.

In exchange, Adams pressured city officials to allow the country’s new 36-story consulate to open despite security concerns, prosecutors said. The Democrat faces five criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Adams, 64, denied any wrongdoing, said he would refute the charges in court and will not resign from his position.

“I will continue doing my job as mayor,” he said at a news conference, in which some spectators called on him to resign.

Türkiye’s foreign ministry and president’s office, as well as its embassy in Washington, have so far had no comment.

Early on Thursday, federal agents searched the mayor’s residence, Gracie Mansion, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, according to a Reuters witness. About a dozen people in business attire were seen walking through the mansion’s gardens with briefcases and duffel bags.

Adams, a former police officer who rose to the rank of captain, is the first of the city’s 110 mayors to be criminally charged during his tenure.

He could be removed by Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, but the process is complicated, said Pace University School of Law professor Bennett Gershman.

Campaign funds for “a true friend of Türkiye”

According to the indictment, Adams accepted free travel from a Turkish airline worth tens of thousands of dollars while serving as Brooklyn borough president and paid $600 to stay two nights in a luxury suite at the St. Regis hotel in Istanbul. , much less than the actual cost of $7,000.

For his 2021 mayoral campaign, Adams disguised campaign contributions from Turkish sources by funneling them through U.S. citizens, according to the indictment. The funds allowed Adams to qualify for $10 million more in public financing.

“This was a multi-year scheme to buy the favor of a single rising New York politician,” Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said at a news conference.

Prosecutors say Adams responded to Turkish attentions.

Acting at the request of a Turkish diplomat, Adams pressured city security inspectors to allow the country’s new 36-story consulate to open in time for a September 2021 visit by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. even though it would have failed a fire inspection, according to the indictment.

Following Adams’ repeated messages about the building, a senior Fire Department official allegedly told a subordinate that he would lose his job if he did not allow the consulate to open. Adams notified the diplomat when the Fire Department approved the building to open later that day, according to the indictment.

“You are a true friend of Türkiye,” the diplomat allegedly responded.

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