Federal prosecutors indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams on five corruption charges on Thursday, alleging that the Turkish government bribed him with more than $100,000 in luxury gifts.
Adams, the first sitting New York City mayor to be criminally indicted, denied the charges and said at a press conference with black clergy members that he would not resign.
“I ask New York to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments,” he said. “My attorneys will take care of the case, so I can take care of the city. My day-to-day will not change. I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers that I was elected to do.”
Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, laid out the charges against Adams at a separate press conference on Thursday.
“As we allege, year after year after year, he kept the public in the dark,” Williams said. “He told the public he received no gifts, even though he was secretly being showered with them.”
Adams faces up to 45 years in prison for one count of conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and commit wire fraud and bribery, one count of wire fraud, two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, and a count of soliciting and accepting a bribe, per the Justice Department.
The five charges are the latest scandal to hit the Adams administration, with more than a dozen New York City officials under investigation, charged or resigning amid multiple foreign and domestic corruption investigations.
According to the 57-page indictment, Adams “sought and accepted” improper benefits and illegal campaign contributions from Turkey dating back nearly a decade to his tenure as Brooklyn borough president.
‘Favorable treatment in exchange for illicit benefits’
As the mayor’s “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,” per the indictment. “Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received.”
Prosecutors allege that the Turkish government paid for Adams to receive free or discounted travel on Turkey’s national airline as well as “free rooms at opulent hotels, free meals at high-end restaurants and free luxurious entertainment while in Turkey.”
One of those trips included his December 2021 post-election visit to Ghana, where he publicly celebrated Chanukah at a Chabad house in Accra while concealing that the trip had been made possible by the Turkish government.
“We will take care of the layover in Istanbul,” a Turkish official allegedly told an Adams staffer, per the indictment. “Don’t let [the airline manager] and others confuse [Adams]. We are the state.”
For the trip, Turkey provided Adams with a BMW 7 series car and driver from Istanbul airport, dinner at a “high-end restaurant” with a Turkish official, drinks and a no-cost business-class upgrade worth $14,000, per the indictment.
On a separate trip, an Adams staffer told a Turkish Airlines manager that staying at the Four Seasons in Istanbul would be too expensive. “Why does he care? He’s not going to pay,” the manager said, per the indictment. “His name will not be on anything either.”
“Super,” the Adams staffer allegedly responded.
In another exchange, the staffer asked the airline manager to create a “real” price for the cost of the discounted flights Adams was receiving from the Turkish government.
“I am going to charge $50,” the airline manager allegedly said.
“No, dear. $50? What? Quote a proper price,” the staffer said, per the indictment. “His every step is being watched right now. $1,000 or so. Let it be somewhat real. We don’t want them to say he is flying for free.”
Prosecutors also claim that Adams orchestrated a straw-contributors scheme that allowed foreign money to be donated to his campaign via U.S. citizens. Adams ultimately claimed more than $10 million in matching campaign contributions as part of the scheme.
In return, Adams allegedly provided favors to the Turkish government, including expediting occupancy approval of their consulate in New York City and declining to make a statement for a remembrance day of the 1915 Armenian genocide.
Federal investigators are also reportedly seeking information about the mayor’s interactions with Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan.
As mayor, Adams has positioned himself as a staunch supporter of Israel and the New York Jewish community.
If Adams were to resign or to be forced out, New York City’s public advocate Jumaane Williams, a “democratic socialist” who has accused Israel of committing war crimes, would become mayor.
“Please post any of the mayor saying the words Palestine, Gaza or ceasefire and mentioning the atrocities, international human rights violations and war crimes happening there. I’ll wait,” Williams wrote in June.
If Adams refuses to resign, he could be forced out either by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, or a five-person “committee on mayoral inability,” described by a provision of New York City’s charter.
Neither action has ever been taken in the city’s history.
