Manhattan prosecutors unsealed a bombshell federal indictment on Thursday against Mayor Eric Adams, accusing him of accepting $10 million worth of bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals. In exchange for these benefits, Adams allegedly provided favorable treatment to the parties involved. The five-count indictment outlines an alleged decade-long pattern of corruption by Adams after he was indicted by a grand jury on conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery charges amid a long-running federal probe.
According to the 57-page indictment, Adams 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. As his prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors allegedly sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him, particularly when it became clear that Adams would become New York City’s mayor. Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received.
In addition to the alleged bribery and corruption charges, Adams is also accused of creating false paper trails to give the impression that he had paid for travel benefits himself. Furthermore, prosecutors allege that Adams gamed the city’s matching funds program, receiving over $10,000 in matching funds as a result of the false certifications.
The historic indictment is the culmination of weeks of searches, subpoenas, and resignations of top City Hall officials that have thrust the Adams administration into a spiraling crisis. Three close allies of the mayor, Rana Abbasova, Brianna Suggs, and Winnie Greco, were not criminally charged in the indictment but appear to be repeatedly referenced throughout.
The federal investigations into Adams and his administration first exploded into the public realm in November last year when the FBI raided Suggs’ Brooklyn home. The raid sought evidence of straw donor kickbacks by the Turkish government and the Williamsburg-based construction company KSK Construction Group into Adams’ mayoral campaign.
Over the summer, federal prosecutors subpoenaed Adams, his campaign arm, and City Hall to obtain information about the mayor’s schedule, his overseas travel, and potential ties to the Turkish government. Then, on Sept. 4, federal investigators seized electronic devices from the city’s police commissioner, schools chancellor, deputy mayor of public safety, first deputy mayor, and other trusted confidantes of Adams – both in and out of City Hall.
Mayor Eric Adams has not yet been arrested and looks forward to his day in court. No one else, to date, has been charged or accused of any wrongdoing in the investigations.
