NEW YORK (AP) New York Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges of accepting bribes, firmly denying that he accepted foreign trips, campaign money and other benefits from foreign interests seeking to take advantage of his influence.
Adams’ lawyer told a judge he would act next week to dismiss the case, which has shaken America’s largest city after months of investigations, raids and subpoenas. The first-term Democratic official maintains that he committed no crime and has pledged to remain in office, rejecting growing calls for him to resign.
Adams, a former police captain, entered his formal plea in a court in Manhattan, located a short distance from City Hall and with a wide view of the city.
His appearance before Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker came the day after prosecutors unsealed charges that he accepted $100,000 in flights and accommodations in opulent hotel suites from people with ties to Turkey, and that he boosted his mayoral campaign with illegal donations that helped him qualify for more than $10 million in public campaign funds.
“I am innocent, your ladyship,” Adams said, looking solemnly at the judge.
Adams was released on the condition that he not contact any witnesses or people described in the indictment. The prosecutor said she would give her lawyer a list of names.
The mayor is allowed to talk to family members and staff, but not about issues related to the allegations, Parker said, warning that he could face additional charges and penalties if he engages in witness tampering or intimidation.
Adams left the courthouse without comment. He smiled at a court official, but ignored the rows of reporters he passed on his way out. He later stood silently outside the courthouse as his lawyer, Alex Spiro, criticized the allegations before a crowd of cameras and onlookers. Shouts could be heard to free Eric, and also lock him up!
Adams, 64, is due back in court Wednesday for a conference before U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho, who will preside over the case going forward.
In his roughly 18-minute appearance, Adams stood impassively, with his hands in his lap, as Parker read aloud the allegations in a steely manner that underscored the seriousness of the case.
Adams is charged with five counts: wire fraud, bribery, conspiracy and two counts of receiving campaign contributions from a foreign national. If convicted of the most serious charge, wire fraud, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, federal prosecutors say.
Adams, who rose to office on a platform as a champion of the middle class and defender of the law, is accused of abusing a years-long relationship with a Turkish official, which dates back to the time when he was president of the Brooklyn borough, with for political and personal gain, and not to disclose these relationships on information release forms.
Among other things, Adams is accused of allowing the official and others to give him luxury accommodations in France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary, Ghana and Turkey, which included expensive upgrades to business class on airplanes, luxury, and even a trip to a Turkish bath. The prosecutor points out that the total value of such benefits exceeds $100,000.
Adams is also accused of conspiring with Turkish businessmen and others to funnel illegal foreign donations to his political campaigns, in part by diverting them through straw donors who had not actually provided the money. The law prohibits non-U.S. citizens from donating to political candidates.
In exchange, Adams allegedly did favors for the donors. An example of this would have occurred in September 2021, when, on the verge of being elected mayor, he helped, according to the accusations, to ensure that the newly built Turkish diplomatic tower in Manhattan was not subjected to a fire inspection, which there certainly would not have been. approved. At one point, a Turkish official called him a true friend of Turkey, the indictment states. Adams supposedly responded: Yes, I am more than a true friend of yours. You are my brother.
Spiro, a noted defense attorney whose past and present clients include Elon Musk, Alec Baldwin and Jay-Z, said it was neither unusual nor improper for an elected official to accept some travel benefits. The mayor has denied knowingly accepting any illegal contributions to his campaign, and has said that helping people navigate city bureaucracy is just part of his job.
Adams has so far managed to weather calls for him to resign, including from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, potential Democratic challengers in the upcoming June primary, and some Republicans. Prominent Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have not called for Adams to resign, saying the legal process should be allowed to move forward.
Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove Adams, also did not call for his resignation. However, she appeared to issue a warning to the mayor whom she has frequently said is a close ally, stating in a statement that she was reviewing her options and obligations, and that she hopes the mayor will take the next few days to review the situation and find an appropriate way forward to ensure that the people of New York City are well served by their leaders.
Adams’ indictment is unlikely to be the last of the federal investigations related to the city government.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told reporters Thursday: This investigation continues. We are continuing to investigate, and we will hold more people to account, so I encourage anyone with information to speak up and to do so before it is too late.
Federal prosecutors are believed to be conducting several separate investigations into Adams, his advisors and the relatives of those advisors. A few weeks ago, federal investigators seized the electronic devices of the police commissioner, the director of the city’s education department, two vice mayors and other people trusted by Adams.
In just the last two weeks, the police commissioner resigned and the director of the education department announced that he was retiring. No one has been accused of any illegality.
The Lower Manhattan courthouse is less than two blocks from the one where former President Donald Trump was tried and convicted of falsifying accounting records. Adams’ appearance took place in the same courtroom where a jury found Trump responsible for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carrol in 1996, and in the same courtroom where hip-hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs appeared last week for accusations of sex trafficking.
Associated Press reporter Anthony Izaguirre contributed to this report from Albany.