Mayor Adams charged with bribery: Inside the indictment

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – Federal investigators on Thursday outlined years of Eric Adams’ expensive bribes and “clumsy” coverups in the first-ever indictment of a sitting New York City mayor.

In a 57-page indictment unsealed Thursday, prosecutors charged the mayor with bribery, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and wire fraud.

Prosecutors accuse the mayor of accepting illegal campaign donations as early as his time as Brooklyn Borough President. Adams allegedly sought and knowingly accepted money from foreign donors, including Turkish government officials, prosecutors contend.

Adams has continuously maintained his innocence, and on Thursday reiterated he has no intention of resigning.

“My day-to-day will not change,” Adams said. “I look forward to defending myself.”

Adams accepted well over $100,000 in luxury travel benefits, including business class flights and opulent hotel rooms, according to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

The donations came in via “straw donors,” or cover-up U.S. donors acting on behalf of a foreign government. Then, Adams used a public program to match the illegal donations with $10 million in public funds, according to the indictment.

“Adams knew that these wealthy individuals could not legally donate in the U.S. election,” Williams said. “He knew they were illegal and to buy influence.”

As part of his corrupt relationships, Adams gave the donors “favorable treatment in exchange for illicit benefits,” according to the indictment.

For example, Adams in 2021 intervened to open the Turkish consulate building that did not meet FDNY regulations, prosecutors contend.

Turkish officials told Adams it was “his turn” to support Turkey, and Adams delivered, pushing the FDNY to open the 36-story skyscraper. He was rewarded with more travel benefits, prosecutors said.

“Some of the people at FDNY thought the building had so many issues and defects that the building was not safe to occupy,” Williams said.

“The FDNY official responsible for the FDNY’s assessment of the skyscraper’s safety was told that he would lose his job if he failed to acquiesce,” according to the indictment.

Adams hid the corruption with a “clumsy coverup,” including falsifying paper trails and deleting text messages, prosecutors said.

Adams’ behavior crossed “bright red lines” over and over for years, consistently breaching the public’s trust, Williams said.

Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered New York City since 2023. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.