New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces five federal charges — including wire fraud, bribery and solicitation of contributions by a foreign national — according to a 57-page federal indictment unsealed Thursday.
Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York allege the Democrat willingly accepted luxury international travel from wealthy foreign businessmen and at least one Turkish government official for nearly a decade in exchange for official favors.
In 2017, while he was Brooklyn borough president, Adams accepted heavily discounted stays at the St. Regis Istanbul, owned by a businessman who “tried to ingratiate himself with Adams,” the indictment says.
Although the Bentley suite cost nearly $7,000 for two nights, the indictment says Adams paid less than $600. He did not disclose the trip because he had to travel as an elected official.
Adams received more than $100,000 in free or discounted travel on Turkey’s national airline, free meals at high-end restaurants in Turkey and free “luxurious entertainment,” according to the indictment. Prosecutors say Adams kept fake paper trails and deleted messages to cover up his misconduct — in one case, promising a co-conspirator that he “always” deleted his messages.
“As Adams grew in prominence and power, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him, particularly as it became clear that in 2021, Adams would become mayor of New York City,” the indictment states. “Adams agreed, offering favorable treatment in exchange for the illegal benefits he received.”
The alleged favors include pressuring the New York City Fire Department to allow the new Turkish embassy building to open after Adams becomes mayor in September 2021, according to prosecutors.
The building would have failed an inspection, but an FDNY building safety officer was told he would lose his job if he failed to comply with the mayor’s demands. So, the indictment says, the building was opened at the request of a Turkish official who offered Adams travel privileges and other gifts.
In addition to free travel and hotel rooms, Adams received illegal campaign donations from foreign donors, including a Turkish government official, according to the indictment.
“Year after year, he kept the public in the dark,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told a news conference. “He told the public that he had received no gifts, even though he was secretly showered with them.”
The Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The allegation was made public hours after he vowed to “fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit” – and several prominent politicians called for his resignation.
Details of the criminal case come at an unusually turbulent time for the Adams administration. In the past two weeks alone, the city’s police commissioner, top attorney and schools principal have announced their resignations.
The mayor has been dogged for months by questions about four federal probes targeting his administration.
“We are not surprised. We expected this,” Adams said at a press conference shortly after the indictment was unsealed. “I ask that New Yorkers wait to hear our argument before making any judgments.”
He said the allegations made it an “unfortunate” and “painful” day. “But despite all that, it’s a day that finally reveals why I’ve been going through this for 10 months,” he said. “I look forward to protecting myself and protecting the people of this city.”
Hours after FBI agents searched Adams’ home, Gracie Mansion, early Thursday and seized his phone for a second time, his lawyer said the indictment was unsealed.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Wednesday became the most high-profile politician to call for Adams’ resignation. City Comptroller Brad Lander and state Sen. John Liu, D-Queens, followed, among others.
But the most powerful political figures in New York—Sen. Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Gov. Kathy Hochul — who did not immediately join others in calling for Adams to step down.
In a statement early Thursday, a spokesman for Hochul, who has the authority to fire Adams, described the news reports as “concerning” but declined to comment further “until this matter is confirmed by law enforcement.”
Last November, FBI agents seized phones and an iPod belonging to Adams amid an investigation into his campaign fundraising. The investigation is believed to focus in part on whether Adams’ mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources.
Then earlier this month, federal investigators involved in a separate investigation searched the homes and seized the phones of several top officials close to Adams. Police Commissioner Edward Capan, one of those whose phones were seized, resigned on Sept. 12.
Authorities also seized the phone of Capan’s twin brother, James Capan, a former police officer who owns a nightclub security business. Federal investigators are looking into whether bars and clubs in Manhattan and Queens paid James Capan to act as a police liaison, and whether local precincts gave those clubs special treatment.
The Adams administration also faced one Public corruption investigation And another federal investigation led to searches of homes owned by Adams’ former director of Asian affairs.
Adams has repeatedly said his administration is cooperating with the investigations and focusing on his job as mayor.
In a videotaped statement released late Wednesday, Adams said any allegations against him would be “absolutely false, based on lies.”
“Make no mistake,” Adams added, “you elected me to lead this city, and I will.”
