NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has never been shy about his globe-trotting ways, but he hasn’t always talked about how he financed years of overseas adventures.
Federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed an indictment that says the Democrat took trips to France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary, Ghana and Turkey that were paid for in part or in full by people seeking to buy his influence in the government. of the city.
The gifts, prosecutors said, included free hotel rooms, thousands of dollars in seat upgrades, expensive meals, entertainment, even a trip to a Turkish bath. In total, the benefits were worth more than $100,000, prosecutors said.
The indictment also accuses Adams of conspiring to collect illegal donations for his campaigns, in part by funneling them through fake donors who had not actually contributed the money.
Adams says he did nothing wrong and has no plans to resign. His attorney, Alex Spiro, criticized the charges as a web of innuendo intended to mislead the public and smear the mayor.
Below are highlights from the 57-page indictment:
Main accusations against Adams
Adams is accused of exploiting a years-long relationship with people with ties to Turkey, who financed his trips and boosted his mayoral bid with donations that helped him qualify for more than $10 million in public campaign funds. People who are not US citizens are prohibited by law from donating to US political candidates.
Prosecutors say Adams returned the favor in September 2021 by ensuring that Turkey’s newly built diplomatic tower in Manhattan would not be subject to a fire inspection, which was certain to fail.
At one point, a Turkish official praised Adams as a “true friend of Türkiye,” according to the indictment. Adams allegedly responded, “Yes, even more of a true friend of yours. You’re my brother. I’m here to help.”
The indictment says Adams also agreed not to issue a statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day that could reflect poorly on Türkiye.
Adams is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery and receiving campaign contributions from a foreign national.
Who is named in the accusation?
Adams is the only person charged and the only person identified by name, but there are many other characters who figure prominently in the indictment.
There is the “Turkish Official,” a senior official in the Turkish diplomatic establishment who is said to have arranged travel benefits for Adams and facilitated fictitious donations to his campaign; “The Promoter,” a Turkish businessman who prosecutors say organized events to introduce Adams to Turkish businessmen; and “Airline Manager,” a Turkish Airlines general manager based in New York City who booked Adams free, deeply discounted flights and business class upgrades.
There were also “Businessman-1,” the owner of a Turkish university who prosecutors said was considering a business venture in Brooklyn; the “Businesswoman,” who gave Adams free or deeply discounted stays in opulent suites at the St. Regis Istanbul, a luxury hotel she owned; in addition to “Businessman-2”, “Businessman-3”, “Businessman-4” and “Businessman-5”, all of whom are accused of being involved in fictitious donations.
‘The Promoter’
Prosecutors said the person they identified as “The Promoter” hatched a scheme, personally approved by Adams, to funnel up to $100,000 in prohibited campaign contributions to him through American employees of a Turkish university, according to the indictment.
At one point, a member of Adams’ staff tried to discourage the idea, saying that Adams probably wouldn’t be interested in “such games” because they “could cause a big scandal later,” according to the indictment. But prosecutors said Adams liked the idea and ordered his staffer to follow her.
“The Promoter” allegedly told his associates that Adams was worth supporting because he could become president one day.
‘That’s how things work in this country’
At one point, the indictment says, a construction company owner attempted to recruit others in the industry and the Turkish community to support Adams with campaign contributions and gifts, writing, in part, that this “may seem like swimming against the grain, but unfortunately that’s how things work in this country.
What does Adams’ lawyer say?
Spiro told reports that the conduct described in the indictment was not illegal nor did it involve the mayor.
The Turkish consulate was asking for “a courtesy,” not retribution, when it wanted Adams’ help in skipping a fire inspection, Spiro said, adding, “New Yorkers do this all the time.” Adams said he would see what he could do, and a few days later he ignored a follow-up phone call from the consulate, Spiro claimed.
“There is no corruption. This is not a real case,” Spiro said.
Spiro said Adams sent emails telling his staff to never accept foreign donations.
As for the free flights and upgrades, Spiro said there’s nothing illegal or unusual about that.
“When you really look at this – if you take a second to step back and look at this – look at the flights they’re talking about, the travel, the expenses,” Spiro said. “The flight they are talking about, that free flight was in 2017, seven years ago, five years before he was mayor. There is nothing illegal or improper about that.”
Adams’ upgrades placed him in seats that would otherwise be vacant, the defense attorney said, maintaining that such deals are common practice in the airline industry.
“That’s what airlines do,” Spiro said. “They do it every day. They do it for the VIPs. They do it for congressmen. “They are empty seats that cost the airlines nothing.”
Alleged cover-up
The indictment alleges that Adams and his co-conspirators took steps to cover their tracks, including creating a false paper trail to make it appear that he had paid in full for flights that were free or deeply discounted.
The indictment also accused the mayor and others of making things difficult for investigators.
FBI agents confiscated electronic devices from Adams last November as he left an event. According to the indictment, the mayor presented two phones, but not the personal phone. Adams later turned over that phone in response to a subpoena, but it was locked and required a password.
Adams claimed to have forgotten, according to the indictment.
According to the indictment, an Adams employee who met with FBI agents at one point apologized, went to the bathroom and deleted the encrypted messaging app she had used to communicate with the mayor, the Turkish official, the airline contact Turkish and others.
