OAN Staff James Meyers
9:16 AM – Thursday, September 26, 2024
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been slapped with five federal charges, which includes wire fraud, bribery and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national, according to an unsealed 57-page federal indictment revealed on Thursday.
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Prosecutors working out of the Southern District of New York accuse Adams (D-N.Y.) of being involved in a scheme that spanned “nearly a decade,” starting when Adams became Brooklyn borough president in 2014.
They claimed the mayor sought and accepted “improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign business people and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him.”
In 2017, Adams accepted a heavily discounted stay at the St. Regis Istanbul owned by a businesswoman who “sought to integrate herself with Adams,” the indictment says.
Investigators then said that Adams proceeded to solicit and accept illegal straw donations from Turkish nationals and once he became mayor, his “foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him” by seeking and securing favors from him.
“As Adams’ prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him, particularly when, in 2021, it became clear that Adams would become New York City’s mayor,” the indictment says. “Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received.”
Thursday morning federal agents searched Adams’ home, Gracie Mansion, seizing his phone, according to his lawyer.
Federal agents have also conducted a series of raids targeting Adams’ close inner circle in recent weeks. This includes the new police commissioner, the commissioner he replaced, as well as his top lawyer and schools chancellor. As a result, all of them have announced their resignations.
However, the indicted mayor has maintained his innocence.
“I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Adams said in a video statement late Wednesday after news broke that he had been indicted in the long-brewing corruption probe. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”
Additionally, multiple elected officials have called on Adams to resign, claiming he can’t perform his job while defending himself in a criminal federal case.
In November of last year, federal agents seized multiple phones and electronic devices from the mayor as part of their corruption investigation.
The indictment makes Adams the first-ever New York City mayor to face criminal charges while in office.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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