NYC Mayor Eric Adams indicted on 5 federal public corruption charges, including bribery and wire fraud

WABC, CNN

By Evan Perez, Mark Morales, Kara Scannell, Brynn Gingras and Gloria Pazmino, CNN

(CNN) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on five federal charges related to bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, according to a 57-page indictment unsealed Thursday morning.

The indictment alleges illegal actions stretching back to 2014, from when he was Brooklyn Borough President.

“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 reads.

Specifically, he received luxury travel and other benefits from a Turkish official and later pressured the NYC Fire Department to open a Turkish consular building without a fire inspection in exchange, the indictment says.

The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, is set to discuss the indictment at a news conference today.

Adams said Thursday morning he was not surprised by the charges and encouraged the public to “wait to hear our defense before making any judgments,” adding that he would not be changing his day-to-day responsibilities in light of the indictment.

“I look forward to defending myself and defending the people of this city as I’ve done throughout my entire professional career,” Adams said.

The indictment stems from a federal investigation by the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan scrutinizing his connection to Turkish officials and businessmen and campaign donations he received.

The indictment represents a dramatic fall from grace for the mayor of America’s largest city and a stunning accusation against one of the nation’s most high-profile offices.

Adams, a former NYPD captain, took office in January 2022 and presented himself as the new face of the Democratic Party, promising a tough-on-crime approach and a commitment to revitalizing the city after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet he has struggled to resolve the city’s key challenges, such as the migrant crisis and concerns about subway safety, and has faced criticism for his late-night partying and clashes over city spending, particularly on education. He once described himself as “the Biden of Brooklyn,” but he has increasingly criticized the Biden administration and the federal government over its handling of immigration issues.

Now, nearly three years into his first term, Adams’ political career is in jeopardy, and several prominent New York political figures, including US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have already called for his resignation. If he were to resign, the job of America’s most high-profile mayor would go to the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, until a special election occurred.

What the indictment alleges

The indictment alleges Adams received gifts and accepted illegal contributions to his campaign.

In 2018, when Adams had announced his plans to run for New York City mayor, he allegedly accepted and sought illegal campaign contributions to his upcoming mayoral campaign, the indictment says.

Businesses also circumvented the city’s ban on corporate contributions “by funneling their donations through multiple employees,” according to the indictment.

A senior in the Turkish diplomatic establishment, who “facilitated many straw donations” to the mayor, also arranged for him and his posse to receive free or discounted travel on Turkey’s national airline, which is owned “in significant part” by the Turkish government, according to the indictment.

Adams and his companions also received free rooms at “opulent hotels,” free meals at high-end restaurants, and free “luxurious entertainment” while in Turkey, court documents say.

Adams did not disclose the travel benefits, as required of New York City employees, the indictment alleges.

In September 2021, the Turkish official told Adams “it was his turn to repay” him by pressuring the NYC Fire Department to “facilitate the opening of a new Turkish consular building” without a fire inspection, the indictment alleges.

Adams then pressured the FDNY to approve the building, the indictment alleges.

Further, the indictment states that Adams and co-conspirators tried to conceal their conduct, including by deleting messages and changing his phone password.

Investigators search his official residence

The New York Times was first to report the news of the indictment on Wednesday night.

Adams was at Gracie Mansion when word of the indictment broke. Adams had not been formally informed of the indictment when the news broke, multiple sources told CNN.

In the immediate, the mayor is expected to have several days to turn himself in, according to sources familiar with the case. He’s not expected to appear in court Thursday. Prosecutors previously informed his attorneys that if charged, he would be summoned to surrender at a future date, multiple sources told CNN.

On Thursday morning, federal investigators went to Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence, and are believed to have executed a search warrant and served the mayor with a summons, according to a law enforcement official. They spent more than 3 hours inside, according to a source.

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Adams, criticized the search, saying it was “an effort to create a spectacle” and take the mayor’s phone “when he would have happily turned it in.”

“He has not been arrested and looks forward to his day in court,” Spiro said.

Lawyers for Adams met with senior officials of the Justice Department last week in a bid to stave off federal criminal charges, multiple sources familiar with the meeting told CNN.

The meeting between Adams lawyers Boyd Johnson and Brendan MacGuire came after they met with the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and were told prosecutors planned to seek an indictment of the mayor, the sources said.

Prosecutors in Washington informed the mayor’s attorneys that their appeal was denied, the sources said.

The US Attorney’s Office is conducting the investigation, but because Adams is a sitting politician, the Justice Department would be involved in any decision to file charges.

Legal troubles escalated in September

The mayor’s legal troubles began last year but escalated earlier this month when top members of his staff at City Hall, including two deputy mayors, a senior adviser, and the schools chancellor, received search warrants and had their phones seized by federal investigators.

The first sign of trouble for Adams came in November 2023 when federal investigators zeroed in on his chief campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, and executed a search warrant at her home, multiple law enforcement officials previously told CNN. Suggs has not been charged with any crimes.

Investigators from the FBI’s public corruption squad seized phones, computers, tablets, and files from Suggs, according to sources. Agents also executed numerous search warrants at other homes and businesses throughout the New York area in connection with the investigation, officials said.

One of the companies searched in November 2023 was KSK Construction Group in Brooklyn, law enforcement officials said. The construction and development company has built apartments and condos throughout the city.

A CNN review of campaign finance records identified at least 11 employees at KSK Construction Group who donated a total of $13,950, with individual contributions ranging from $1,200 to $1,500, all on the same day, to Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign. CNN has reached out to the donors for comment. CNN has also reached out to Erden Arkan, who is listed as the owner of KSK Construction Group, and also listed as a donor to the Adams campaign. New York City campaign finance records show Arkan donated $1,500.

As part of their investigation, FBI agents seized Adams’ cell phones days after the raid on Suggs’ home.

After Adams gave a speech in Manhattan, FBI agents “walked right up to him,” asked his NYPD security detail to step aside, and then climbed into Adams’ city-issued SUV, sources previously told CNN. There, agents presented him with a warrant to seize his electronic devices, the sources said.

The investigations accelerated earlier this month. Edward Caban, the New York Police Department commissioner, had his phone seized as part of a separate federal investigation and was forced to resign. Days later, Lisa Zornberg, City Hall’s top lawyer and one of Adams’ staunchest defenders, abruptly resigned. In a brief two-sentence resignation letter, Zornberg stated that she had concluded she could “no longer serve effectively” in her position.

A week later, Schools Chancellor David Banks’ home was searched by federal investigators who seized his cell phones during the execution of a search warrant. He then announced he would retire from his position leading the nation’s largest public school system at the end of the year.

The mayor has touted his ties to the city’s Turkish American community and said he had visited the country at least six or seven times.

Adams traveled to Turkey at least twice as Brooklyn borough president. The Turkish Consulate paid for an August 2015 trip during which he signed a sister city agreement with Istanbul’s Üsküdar district.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Eric Levenson, Artemis Moshtaghian and Celina Tebor contributed to this report.