NEW YORK (TIP): New York City’s embattled mayor pleaded not guilty Friday, September 27, to federal corruption charges after prosecutors accused him of using his power and influence to garner free trips, luxury hotel stays and questionable campaign donations, according to a CNN report. Mayor Eric Adams is charged with bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals. “I am not guilty, your honor,” Adams said in a Lower Manhattan federal court Friday.
Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker allowed Adams to be released after the hearing – but with caveats. The mayor cannot have contact with anyone involved in the allegations in the indictment.
Aside from that, the mayor can still maintain routine business contacts and communicate with family members. The judge also allowed Adams to keep his passport.
Adams’ appearance in court as a defendant is a stark contrast from his work fighting crime as an NYPD captain – a job he often touted during his political career.
The mayor, a Democrat elected in 2021, has denied wrongdoing and said he doesn’t plan to resign. “I look forward to defending myself and defending the people of this city as I’ve done throughout my entire professional career,” Adams said Thursday, September 26.
The 15000- word indictment says that between 2016 and October 2023, Adams sought and accepted benefits such as free luxury travel and campaign donations from foreigners, including Turkish officials.
In exchange, he pressured the Fire Department of New York to approve the opening of a new Turkish consular building in the city without a fire inspection, the indictment states. In addition, his campaign used those illegal campaign donations to “steal public funds” through New York City’s matching funds, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors said the foreign nationals were able to sidestep federal law and conceal their campaign donations through these “straw donors” – US-based donors who falsely claimed they were contributing their own money.
In 2017, Adams allegedly accepted free business class tickets for three roundtrip international flights and a heavily discounted stay at a suite in the St. Regis Istanbul. The trip was worth over $41,000, and Adams did not disclose it, the indictment alleges.
Adams allegedly accepted over $123,000 worth of luxury travel benefits between 2016 and 2021, without disclosing any of it.
By 2018, the mayor allegedly “not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals.”
By January 2022, he had agreed to accept contributions of foreign money to his 2025 campaign, the indictment alleges. Meanwhile, reports have come in that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s team is telling allies and other stakeholders that she is now seriously considering the possibility of removing Adams from office – a power she has under state law.
Before Adams’ indictment was unsealed, Hochul reportedly hadn’t considered removing the mayor. But after reviewing the indictment, the governor suggested in a statement late Thursday, September 26, that she was leaving her options open.
“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,” Hochul said.
Lawyers in the governor’s office have started to look over the legal language of the removal authority, another source familiar with the situation said.
Though many local lawmakers have called for Adams to resign, some high-profile New York Democrats in Congress have been less vocal. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer both stopped short of calling for Adams to step down in their most recent remarks.
“No one is above the law, including the Mayor of New York City,” Schumer said in a written statement Thursday, September 26. “The charges are serious, and the legal process should now play out speedily and fairly.”
But Jeffries could come under pressure from New York House candidates concerned the Adams scandal might hurt their prospects for election.
Adams is “entitled to the presumption of innocence,” Jeffries said, and “a jury of the Mayor’s peers will now evaluate the charges in the indictment and ultimately render a determination.”
(With inputs from CNN)