Adams Pleads Not Guilty to 5 Count Fed Indictment Charging Bribery, Conspiracy and Accepting Lux Trips from Turks

Eric Adams became the first sitting mayor in city history to be criminally indicted on September 26 when a federal indictment was unsealed accusing him of five counts of bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and solicitation of illegal foreign campaign donations that stretched back a decade.

He pleaded not guilty at Manhattan Federal District court on Sept. 27 and was released without bail. He said he will push for a speedy trial to “prove his innocence.”

Among the claims is that he used “straw donors” to set up donations that enabled him to illegally obtain more than $10 million in matching public funds in his 2021 mayoral campaign. It also charged that unnamed Turkish nationals supplied Adams and companions with free or discounted airfare and lavish hotel stays to destinations including France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary, and Turkey itself, traveling on Turkish Airlines, which is partially owned by the Turkish government.

At his hastily called press conference the morning the indictment was unsealed on Sept. 26, he said: “The actions that have unfolded over the last 10 months, the leaks, the commentary, the demonizing, this did not surprise us that we reached this day. And I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments.”

In addition to his high powered private attorney Alex Spiro, Adams surrounded himself with religious and civil rights leaders at the press conference including Hazel Dukes, President, NAACP New York State Conference; Jackie Rowe-Adams, Founder and CEO, Harlem Mothers and Fathers S.A.V.E; Bishop Dr. Chantel R. Wright and Bishop Gerald Seabrooks among others.

The 57-page indictment zeroes in on many alleged transgressions, particularly those centered on dealings with Turkish nationals. One of the most serious charges concerns what the government case says was the help they gave coordinating “many straw donors” that enabled the Adams mayoral campaign to bilk over $10 million from matching public funds from the city.

“Adams and those working at his direction falsely certified compliance with applicable campaign finance regulations,” the indictment charges but in reality local citizens making the maximum $250 donation were being secretly reimbursed by wealthy Turkish executives who were barred from making contributions themselves.

The indictment also says they showered Adams with free trips and expensive upgrades on Turkish Airlines for a decade. Adams and his companions received free rooms at opulent hotels, free meals at high-end restaurants, and free luxurious entertainment. In one claim, Adams and a companion stayed in the St. Regis Istanbul for two nights and paid $600, for what normally would have cost $7,000. The indictment says he failed to disclose some of his many trips to Turkey and a trip to Nepal, India on financial disclosure forms. The total value of the many free trips and upgrades was pegged at over $120,000, according to prosecutors.

“In 2014, Eric Adams, the defendant, became Brooklyn borough president. Thereafter, for nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him,” the indictment charges.

Adams insisted that he became a target because he was defending New Yorkers, which was seemingly a reference to his criticism of the Biden Administration for the federal government’s lack of help in offsetting the $5 billion the city incurred taking care of 220,000 asylum seeking migrants who arrived in the city over the past two years.

But the indictment says the illicit behavior began long before the migrant crisis began two years ago.

“By 2018, Adams, who had by then made known his plans to run for Mayor of New York City-not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals. As Adams’ prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him, particularly when, in 2021, it became clear that Adams would become New York City’s mayor. Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received.”

“Throughout the 2021 campaign,” the indictment claims Adams “solicited and knowingly accepted straw donations, including from foreign sources, while continuing to secretly accept free and heavily discounted travel benefits from the Turkish Official, the Promoter, and the Airline Manager.

In one section, the indictment says Adams would leave up to $10,000 in an envelope and tell a person identified only as his office “scheduler” to send the money to the Turkish Airline to pay for plane tickets. But the airline never received such money because it said the trips were complimentary.

The indictment also charges that in September 2021, after Adams had won the Democratic primary and appeared head to an easy election victory in November, a Turkish official said it was time for Adams to “repay” his debt by pressuring the FDNY Commissioner to speed up inspections so that the Turkish government could get building permits for a 36 story skyscraper called the Turkish House that it was building on United Nations Plaza. The push was to have it opened before the arrival of the Turkish president on a trip to New York. The skyscraper was to house the Turkish Consulate and Turkish Mission to the UN and other Turkish government offices. The FDNY inspectors found a number of serious deficiencies and were withholding approval thus blocking the Department of Buildings from issuing a temporary certificate of occupancy. Turkish House did open on time after Adams intervened, the indictment charges.

As news of the pending indictment began swirling on Sept. 26 following a story that first broke in the New York Times, some sources speculated that up to five other people could be indicted with him, although that did not happen. The New York Post reported that two of the five would include Winnie Greco, the current director of Asia Affairs and Brianna Suggs, a chief fundraiser of the 2021 election campaign. As a 21-year-old chief fundraiser for the campaign, Suggs had helped Adams rake in a total of $18 million in campaign contributions. But at least in the initial indictment, no other parties besides Adams were named.

There are clear references to an unnamed “Adams staffer” who served as a “liaison to the Asian American community” but no criminal charges are mentioned.

And Suggs, also unnamed and uncharged with any crime, clearly played a role in the evolving federal probes which first came to light after her home had been searched in November 2023. When that news broke, Adams cut short a trip to Washington D.C., where he was about to lobby with other big city mayors for more federal funds to handle the growing migrant crisis. He instead returned immediately to the city.

A few days later, federal agents confiscated Adams own cell phone and ipad.

There are said to be at least four or five federal investigations underway and on Sept. 27 it became clear that some are still ongoing. Deputy Mayor Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a longtime confidante and aid to Adams, had her Brooklyn home searched by investigators from Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. Investigators from the Manhattan DA and the US Attorney’s office served Lewis-Martin with a subpeona as she landed at JFK, returning from a trip to Japan. She’s at least the 13th member of the Adams administration to have her home searched.

If Adams were to resign, Public Advocate Jumaane Willliams, a member of the progressive wing of the Dem primary and a longtime critic of Adams, would take over and the city council would set a new election to take place within 60 days to finish out the unfilled term.

Even before the indictments, Adams was going to face potential challenges in the mayoral democratic primary including City comptroller Brad Lander, Former comptroller Scott Stringer, Brooklyn state senator Zellnor Myrie, and Queens state senator Queens state senator Jessica Ramos. And disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo is also rumored to mulling a run for mayor.

Governor Kathy Hochul, who was seen as an ally of Adams, has the ability to remove him from office, but has yet to weigh in on whether she will push for him to step down.

The formal charges include one count of wire fraud, one count of bribery, two counts of solicitation of a contribution from foreign citizens, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud tied to travel and gifts through the Turkish government.

At a press conference outside Gracie Mansion on Thursday, Sept. 26 Adams asked for New Yorkers “to wait and hear our side to this narrative.”

“My day-to-day will not change,” he said. “I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers that I was elected to do.”