On Thursday, the charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) were revealed after the indictment by a grand jury was unsealed for public viewing. The mayor of the Big Apple, the first city leader to ever be indicted, is being charged with bribery conspiracy, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations after a three-year investigation.
The charges, brought by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams, accuse Adams of improperly accepting various gifts from the Turkish government going as far back as 2014, when he first took office as Brooklyn borough president. According to the indictment, Adams partook in luxury international travel thanks to various wealthy businessmen and at least one Turkish government official.
During his 2021 run for mayor, Adams lobbied for campaign contributions from those who supported him, and his benefactors sought to use their influence with the mayor to benefit themselves. One of those favors included pressuring Fire Department officials to approve a high-rise Turkish consulate in preparation for a visit from the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
According to The New York Times, the unsealed indictment coincided with an FBI raid on Gracie Mansion, the mayor's home on the Upper East Side. Mayor Adams is expected to surrender to authorities next week.
In response to the indictment, Mayor Adams said he was innocent. "I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target - and a target I became," Adams told The New York Post. "If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit."
The indictment comes after Rep. Alexandria Ocacio-Cortez (D-NY) demanded that the mayor step down as federal authorities raided the homes and confiscated the cell phones of many of the city's top officials. The investigation prompted multiple resignations, including the police commissioner, the city's top lawyer, and the school chancellor, all of whom resigned or announced their intention to resign.
"I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City. The flood of resignations and vacancies is threatening government function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration," the New York progressive said about the mayor of the Big Apple. "For the good of the city, he should resign."
As previously reported by the DC Enquirer, federal authorities conducted multiple home raids earlier this month against some of Mayor Adams' top deputies, including First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. In addition to the home raids, the FBI seized the cell phones of the police commissioner, the first deputy mayor, the school's chancellor, the deputy mayor for public safety, and a senior adviser to Mayor Adams.
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