New York Mayor Eric Adams indicted on federal bribery charges : NPR

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting a political contribution from a foreign national, according to an indictment that was unsealed on Thursday — a historic circumstance that comes after a monthslong investigation.

Early Thursday, federal agents descended upon the mayor’s official residence, Gracie Mansion, member station Gothamist reported, citing law enforcement.

After the indictment was unsealed, Adams maintained his innocence, saying at an outdoor news conference that his legal team would “peruse the entire document.”

“If it’s campaign violations, I know I don’t violate the campaign [laws],” Adams said. “If it’s foreign donors, I know I don’t take money from foreign donors.”

As the mayor and his supporters turned to leave the event, loud chants of “Resign!” broke out.

Here’s the indictment that was unsealed on Thursday:

For nearly a decade of Adams’ political career — first as a borough president and then as mayor, the indictment alleges — he “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.” 

“By smuggling their contributions to ADAMS through U.S.-based straw donors, ADAMS’s overseas contributors defeated federal laws that serve to prevent foreign influence on U.S. elections,” the indictment alleges.

Adams is accused of using New York City’s public matching-funds system to compound his gains, with the indictment alleging that because of bogus claims, Adams’ “2021 mayoral campaign received more than $10,000,000 in public funds.”

The federal charges represent an emphatic turnabout in the career of Adams, a former New York Police Department officer and state senator who went on to become Brooklyn’s borough president before winning the mayoral race in 2021.

Charges outline luxury travel — and payback

The grand jury indictment accuses Adams of accepting numerous high-end travel perks, alleging that a senior official in Turkey’s diplomatic establishment who facilitated straw donations to Adams also arranged for the mayor and others to fly for free or at discounted rates on Turkey’s national airline.

Their destinations ranged from France, China, Sri Lanka and India to Hungary and Turkey, the document states. On those trips, the indictment alleges, Adams and his party would “receive, among other things, free rooms at opulent hotels, free meals at high-end restaurants, and free luxurious entertainment while in Turkey.”

In return, the indictment says, Adams granted the Turkish official’s request in September 2021 that he put pressure on the New York City Fire Department to ensure Turkey’s new consular building, a 36-story skyscraper, would open in time for a visit by Turkey’s president — despite not undergoing a fire inspection.

“At the time, the building would have failed an FDNY inspection,” the indictment states, adding that a fire official was told he would lose his job if he didn’t agree to allow the building to open.

Along with the Turkish official, the indictment alleges that other foreign nationals gave Adams lucrative travel benefits and/or arranged illegal campaign contributions, including a Turkish entrepreneur identified only as the “Promoter,” a businesswoman who owns the luxury St. Regis Istanbul hotel and an airline manager who frequently upgraded Adams’ flights to business class.

When Adams won the 2021 mayoral race, the “Promoter” and a wealthy Turkish businessman allegedly celebrated in text messages and spoke about using his new position to their advantage, according to text messages reproduced in the indictment. The “Promoter” predicted Adams would soon be the president of the U.S., the court document states.

What kind of punishment could Adams face?

Adams, 64, is charged with five criminal counts — but the most serious charge is for wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if he’s convicted.

The single count of soliciting and accepting a bribe carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Another sole count, for conspiracy, carries a maximum five-year sentence. Each of two counts for soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals also carries a sentence of five years.

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho, the former director of the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project, who was confirmed to the federal bench last year.

What if Adams resigns?

Under New York City’s order of succession, the next person in line to become mayor would be the city’s public advocate, Jumaane D. Williams, 48, a former City Council member who represented a Brooklyn district. Next after Williams would be the city’s comptroller, Brad Lander, a progressive Democrat who said in July that he would challenge Adams in the 2025 election.

When Adams was asked at a news conference this week whether he would resign, he was unfazed: “I’m stepping up, not stepping down. I have a city to run.”

It’s not certain how much warning the mayor might have had about being indicted. In that same news conference, he said, “I’m excited about what the future and what tomorrow holds for us.”

Indictment follows exits of top officials

Adams’ administration has seen three high-profile resignations in recent days:

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban resigned a week after federal authorities seized his cellphone during an investigation.

Lisa Zornberg, the chief counsel and legal adviser to the mayor, resigned days later.

Kristen Kaufman, the deputy commissioner of public-private partnerships and economic development, also stepped down. 

Rumblings of trouble began last fall

Federal agents conducted raids targeting several people in Adams’ inner circle last November, as Gothamist and WNYC reporter Elizabeth Kim told NPR last week.

Adams’ top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, was one of the people raided — a surprising but not shocking development: Other mayors’ fundraising operations have also been investigated over the years.

“But what was unusual and really raised people’s eyebrows was when federal agents also seized the mayor’s phones,” Kim said. “That’s when the political observers started thinking that this is rather serious, because that was pretty much unprecedented in New York.”

The biggest questions about the investigation into the mayor, Kim said, centered on the inquiry’s focus and how it might intersect with other investigations.

“We do know that part of the focus has been on illegal donations from Turkish officials,” Kim said. “Then there’s another investigation into one of Mayor Adams’ fundraisers who really focused on the Chinese community.”

NPR and member station reporters are reading through court records to gather the full context of the accusations against Adams and will continue to update this story.