Eric Adams pleads not guilty to five-count criminal indictment

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court Friday to charges that he engaged in a yearslong conspiracy to receive illegal foreign campaign contributions, wire fraud and bribery.

“I am not guilty, your honor,” Adams told U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker in a flat tone.

With that 22-minute appearance, New York City’s 110th mayor became the first in modern history to plead to a criminal charge while holding the office.

Federal prosecutors have accused Adams, a Democrat, of having accepted free travel on Turkish Airlines and luxury hotel rooms worth more than $100,000, illegal contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign and other perks from a number of people connected to the Turkish government. They allege that in exchange for those bribes, Adams used his position as Democratic nominee for mayor to fast-track the opening of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan.

The judge released Adams on the condition that he not have contact with witnesses or individuals named in the indictment about the charges and facts laid out. She didn’t require him to turn over his passports, a common condition of release for defendants.

The mayor remained expressionless during the 22-minute arraignment, staring straight ahead even as the judge read through the charges against him in detail. At the conclusion, Adams rose and flashed a tight smile at one of the court officers as he exited the courtroom.

And though the circumstances of the proceeding were unprecedented, the brief court appearance was largely unremarkable, aside from the judge referring to the defendant using his title, “Mayor Adams.”

During the proceeding, Adams’ lawyer Alex Spiro said he intends to file a motion to dismiss the case on Wednesday, when the mayor is scheduled to have an initial court conference.

Outside of the courthouse, Adams did not respond to questions from reporters, but he stood next to Spiro with a stern expression as his attorney declared the mayor’s innocence.

“This case isn't even a real case,” Spiro said. “This is the airline upgrade corruption case.”

Spiro also repeated the mayor’s claim that federal prosecutors were specifically targeting Adams, an assertion amplified by former President Donald Trump on Thursday.

“They implied that somehow he’s disappointing people or that people ought to be disappointed in him,” Spiro said of prosecutors. “It’s not him doing this. It's the other government that everybody should be disappointed in, bringing this case against a sitting mayor.”