NYC Mayor Eric Adams indictment alleges bribery, illegal campaign donations

Mayor Eric Adams to appear before a judge on Friday at noon

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charges, including bribery, conspiracy and campaign finance violations.

The newly unsealed indictment, which is more than 50 pages long, alleges the mayor accepted illegal campaign donations, including those from Turkish businessmen in exchange for political favors. 

Adams pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Friday. 

“Mayor Adams engaged in a long-running conspiracy in which he solicited and knowingly accepted illegal campaign contributions from foreign donors and corporations,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams announced Thursday. “As we allege, Mayor Adams took these donations, even though he knew they were illegal, and even though he knew these contributions were attempts by a Turkish governmental official and Turkish businessmen to buy influence with him.”

Williams said Adams “sought and accepted” more than $100,000 in luxury travel benefits, including free international flights and “opulent hotel rooms.” Williams said the mayor did not disclose those gifts and even “created fake paper trails” in some instances.

“Year after year after year, he kept the public in the dark. He told the public he received no gifts, even though he was secretly being showered with them,” the U.S. attorney said.

The indictment claims Adams cultivated relationships with multiple Turkish businessmen in 2018 and continued to solicit donations from them as recently as last year for his reelection campaign.

“I want to be clear, these upgrades and freebies were not part of some frequent flyer or loyalty program available to the general public. As we allege, this was a multi-year scheme to buy favor with a single New York City politician on the rise,” Williams said.

Read the full indictment and more details on the charges.

Adams faces the possibility of up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all counts. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, accepting a bribe carries a maximum of 10 years, and the other charges can carry up to five years each. 

Williams had a message for others who may know something: Come forward before it’s too late. He said the investigation is ongoing. 

NYC mayor asks the public to “hear our defense”

Flanked by supporters, Adams publicly addressed the charges outside Gracie Mansion ahead of the district attorney’s news conference. 

“We are not surprised. We expected this. This is not surprising to us at all. 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,” Adams said. “I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments.”

Spectators repeatedly interrupted the mayor and other speakers, demanding he resign. One of them was Hawk Newsome, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Greater New York. 

“I’m not here to convict him criminally. I’m here to convict civilly, and say he is unfit to manage the dealings of New York City,” Newsome said. 

“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,” Adams said. “And the 300,000-plus employees of our city government will continue to do their jobs, because this is what we do as New Yorkers.”

Adams is now the first sitting mayor in the city’s history to be indicted on federal charges. He called it an “unfortunate” and “painful” day, but said he looks forward to defending himself against the allegations, insisting, “Everyone that knows me knows I follow campaign rules and I follow the law.”

Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference, joined Adams at his news conference. Hecklers continued as the mayor’s supporters spoke. 

“I’ve known this young man for over 40 years. I come with heavy heart today, but my head is not unbowed. He’s going to have his day in court, and we’re going to stand by him,” she said. 

Federal agents were seen outside the mayor’s home earlier Thursday morning, and his attorney said his phones were seized. 

“We have known for some time that they would try to find a way to bring a case against Mayor Adams. Yesterday — more improper leaks. Today — they emailed us a summons (and created the spectacle of a bogus raid). And very soon they will no doubt hold an hour-long dog-and-pony show presser rather than appear in open court,” attorney Alex Spiro said in a statement. “Federal judges call them out all the time for spinning in front of the cameras and tainting jurors. But they keep doing it because they can’t help themselves. The spotlight is just too exciting. We will see them in court.”

Adams took to social media Thursday afternoon as well. 

“Let me be clear, I know I’ve done nothing wrong, and I am committed to continuing to fight on behalf of New Yorkers as your mayor. From here, my attorneys will take care of the case so I can take care of this city,” Adams wrote. 

Adams’ attorney spoke to the media after leaving Gracie Mansion Thursday afternoon.  

“You know, you can almost picture them trying to cobble this together, and try to tell a story so they can say ‘corruption, corruption’ at a press conference. They do that to tarnish him in your eyes. That’s why they’re doing this,” Spiro said. 

He called the flight seat improvements and hotel rooms “upgrades,” and said airlines and hotels routinely do those sorts of things for VIPs. 

 “There’s no corruption. This is not a real case,” Spiro said. 

What did Eric Adams allegedly do? Here’s what he’s accused of

Federal investigators have been looking into contributions to Adams’ mayoral campaigns from so-called “straw donors” connected to foreign governments. 

“A straw donor contributes someone else’s money, hiding the money’s illegal source, such as a foreign businessman, a corporation or a wealthy New Yorker who has already contributed the maximum amount allowed,” Williams said Thursday.   

Williams said the mayor’s campaign also received illegal donations from corporations, as well as others that exceeded the legal amount. 

Prosecutors pointed out under a matching funds program, eligible small donors could give up to $250, but the candidate would receive up to $2,000 in matching funds — eight times the amount donated. Prosecutors say the matching funds program doled out up to nearly $13 million to qualifying candidates in the 2021 election cycle.

“These are bright red lines, and we allege that the mayor crossed them again and again for years,” said Williams. “That is the only reason we are here today.” 

The indictment alleges the mayor went on to pressure the FDNY into green-lighting a new Turkish consulate building in 2021.

“There was significant time pressure, because the Turkish official desperately needed the building to be open in time for a visit from Turkey’s president. This building was important to the Turkish official, and it was important to Turkey,” said Williams. “But the FDNY’s fire safety professionals wouldn’t let the building open, because the building hadn’t passed an inspection. And not just that, some of the people of the FDNY thought the building had so many issues and defects that the building was not safe to occupy.

“So the Turkish official sent word to Adams that it was ‘his turn’ to support Turkey. As we allege, Adams delivered, and pressured the fire department to let the building open,” the U.S. attorney continued, adding FDNY officials were “convinced that they would lose their jobs if they didn’t back down.”

Federal agents first visited the home of Adams’ chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs in November 2023.The mayor was headed to Washington, D.C. for a meeting on the migrant crisis but suddenly returned to New York when he learned of the raid. 

Sources told CBS News New York a new round of subpoenas delivered to Adams’ lawyers in July also sought information related to his dealings with Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan. His chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, suddenly quit last week, saying she could not effectively to do her job amid the probe.

Other ongoing federal investigations include those of former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, who has since resigned, as well as Deputy Mayor Philip Banks III, his brother, Schools Chancellor David Banks, and David’s partner, Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.

The schools chancellor announced his retirement earlier this week, but he insisted he told the mayor about his plans to retire prior to the investigation.

Gov. Kathy Hochul releases statement

Since news of the indictment broke, there have been mounting calls for Adams to step down. Many of the voices are coming from members of his own party, including those planning to run against him in next year’s Democratic primary.

“I was elected by the people of this city — over 700,000 strong — and this is a city that is extremely resilient. This is a city that we have gone through some difficult and hard times, and we’re going to continue to move forward as a city,” Adams said Thursday. “When you say, ‘Who is the point person that’s going to deal with business communities, who’s going to deal with the business of running this city?’ The point person is Eric Adams. I’m the mayor of the city of New York.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul does have the ability to remove Adams from office. CBS News New York political reporter Marcia Kramer says there will be pressure on the governor to do so. The governor addressed the issue in a statement on Thursday night.

“This is an extraordinarily difficult day for New York City. I have carefully reviewed the indictment released by the United States Department of Justice. This indictment is the latest in a disturbing pattern of events that has, understandably, contributed to a sense of unease among many New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “Our judicial system is based on the foundational principle that all of us are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. Yet those of us who have chosen a career in elected office know that we’re held to a higher standard. Given the responsibilities we hold as public servants, that’s entirely appropriate.

“New Yorkers deserve to know that their municipal government is working effectively, ethically and in the best interests of the people — driving down crime, educating our kids and ensuring basic city services continue unabated. It’s now up to Mayor Adams to show the City that he is able to lead in that manner.

“My focus is on protecting the people of New York and ensuring stability in the City. While I review my options and obligations as the governor of New York, I expect the mayor to take the next few days to review the situation and find an appropriate path forward to ensure the people of New York City are being well-served by their leaders. We must give New Yorkers confidence that there is steady, responsible leadership at every level of government,” Hochul added.

If Adams were to resign or be removed by the governor, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would take over on an interim basis. He would have three days to call for a special election, which would have to be held within 80 days. 

Jenna DeAngelis

contributed to this report.