New York City Mayor Eric Adams was charged with five federal criminal counts including taking bribes, wire fraud and conspiracy to take illegal overseas campaign money. Feds allege Adams took more than $120,000 in gifts and upgrades in exchange for using his power to help Turkey. Adams has maintained his innocent, and his attorney says the business class trips simple upgrades to empty seats, and that any mistakes or wrongdoing about foreign money raised for his campaigns was at the hands of campaign staff. NBC New York’s Jonathan Dienst, Andrew Siff, Melissa Colorado and Chris Glorioso report.
Eric Adams became the first sitting New York City mayor in modern history to face criminal prosecution on Thursday.
Adams is accused of improper benefits and illegal campaign contributions, fraudulent matching funds claims, concealment of travel benefits and corrupt favor for foreign benefactor, according to the document unsealed this morning. The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan alleges in the indictment that Adams “compounded his gains” from the illegal contributions by gaming the city’s matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small dollar donations.
The mayor, who is tied up in a multitude of ongoing investigations, has denied wrongdoing or knowledge of wrongdoing. His lawyer says his client awaits his day in court.
The historic federal probe into Adams and his top officials have already spurred serious questions about the next steps for City Hall -- and potential action from Albany.
Here are all the latest developments in and out of the courthouse.
