New York City’s mayor has been charged with taking bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals.
Eric Adams “solicited and demanded” bribes, including free and heavily discounted luxury travel benefits from a Turkish official, according to an indictment filed by the US attorney’s office in Manhattan.
Adams is the first of New York City’s 110 mayors to be criminally charged while in office. His home was searched by FBI agents earlier on Thursday.
In a press conference held shortly after the indictment was unsealed, Mr Adams again said he would not resign as mayor and asked New Yorkers “to wait to hear our defence before making any judgements”.
“My day-to-day will not change,” he said. “I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers that I was elected to do.
“And the 300,000-plus employees of our city’s government will continue to do their jobs, because this is what we do as New Yorkers.
“This is an unfortunate day, and it’s a painful day. But inside all of that is a day when we will finally reveal why, for 10 months, I’ve gone through this. And I look forward to defending myself.”
Damian Williams, a Southern District of New York attorney, alleged in a later press conference Mr Adams accepted the donations “even though he knew they were illegal”.
The mayor is alleged to have accepted more than $100,000 worth of luxury travel benefits, he said, and said Mr Adams “had a duty to disclose” the contributions.
“Year after year after year, he kept the public in the dark,” Mr Williams added.
A former police officer, Mr Adams faces five criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as well as bribery.
The 57-page indictment alleges there was a scheme dating back to 2014 where Turkish officials helped underwrite Mr Adams’s mayoral campaign in 2021.
In return, prosecutors said the New York mayor would pressure officials to waive safety inspections and allow the Turkish government’s 36-story consulate to open in Manhattan.
The indictment alleged Adams also “compounded his gains” from illegal contributions by gaming the city’s matching funds program – which provides matches for small dollar donations.
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Source Agencies
