Prosecutors say further charges against Eric Adams ‘possible,’ charges against others ‘likely’

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams could face more charges in his federal corruption case, prosecutors told a judge Wednesday morning.

Prosecutor Hagan Scotten of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York told judge Dale Ho it is "possible" prosecutors would file a superseding indictment in the case.

Scotten said it is also “likely” additional defendants will be charged.

Alex Spiro, the mayor’s private attorney, requested the trial conclude in March — three months before Adams is to appear on a ballot for reelection.

Shortly after the proceedings, Spiro issued a statement in reaction to the prosecution’s comments that additional charges against Adams could be coming.

“The prosecution is desperately now saying they ‘could’ bring a new case because they are suddenly facing dismissal of their actual, flawed case and sanctions for misconduct,” he said. “This is the sort of nonsense that prosecutors say when they don’t have a real case. If they had a real case, they would have brought it.”

The hearing in the Manhattan courthouse marked the first in the case — United States of America v. Eric Adams — since the Democratic mayor pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of bribery and fraud.

Prosecutors last week revealed the findings in a five-count indictment against Adams. Earlier in September, federal investigators raided the homes and seized the phones of several top advisers to the mayor — nearly one year after confronting him on a public street and taking his electronic devices.

In recent weeks, Adams’ schools chancellor, police commissioner, top city lawyer and senior adviser have quit or been forced out.

The mayor is accused of accepting free travel upgrades in exchange for helping push through a fire inspection of the Turkish Consulate building in Manhattan as well as accepting foreign campaign contributions that were allegedly funneled through straw donors.

Since that investigation first came to light, several other federal probes into Adams’ advisers have become public knowledge. One appears focused on the former NYPD commissioner and his twin brother, a second relates to the schools chancellor and his brothers — the deputy mayor for public safety and an external consultant — and the third involves Adams' Asia-American affairs adviser.

At times, Spiro sought opportunities to be combative with the government in front of the judge.

“It’s a tell they have a weak case,” Spiro told the judge, objecting to the government’s lengthy description of what evidence will be included in the discovery process.

He slammed the government for conducting a “fake raid on Gracie Mansion” the same day the indictment was unsealed, a search Spiro said took place so prosecutors could bring fanfare to the case.

During the hearing, Adams looked serious but comfortable. As he was leaving the courtroom, he shook a supporter’s hand.

As he exited the courthouse, he was met by a chorus of protesters and agitators calling on him to resign. He did not answer any questions and headed straight for his unmarked car to go to a scheduled press event less than a quarter-mile away.

Throughout the court proceedings, which largely revolved around scheduling dates and trial logistics, the government noted multiple times that Adams “used his official position to obtain improper gifts.”

They also revealed the existence of additional text messages that indicate Adams allegedly instructed others to lie to authorities during their investigation.

“They should not tell the truth to the FBI” Scotten said, apparently quoting a message sent by Adams .

Scotten and Spiro battled over how long the discovery process should take, with Scotten revealing more about the phone feds seized from Adams — the same one the mayor claimed to have forgotten the password to.

While Scotten said it’s unclear how long it will take for federal authorities to access his phone — potentially affecting the timeline of the discovery process — he was sure the federal government had the technology to access its information.

“We will get access to it at some point,” he vowed, calling the currently locked phone the outstanding “wild card” of the case.

Prosecutors said they planned to introduce reams of evidence, including texts, phone records, bank records, Turkish-language messages and voice messages, calendars, messages on the encrypted messaging app Signal, Turkish Airline records, documents outlining the ethics training Adams received and other documents prosecutors said they’ve gathered since their investigation began in the summer of 2021.

Amid all of it, Spiro pressed Judge Ho for an expedited trial date. The government, however, sought a longer timeline.

“We have every right — the public has a right — to a speedy trial,” Spiro said. “We do not want this case dragging, and there’s no reason for it to drag."

The judge delayed setting a firm timeline for the trial. But a Nov. 1 hearing has been scheduled to address Spiro’s outstanding two motions — one calling for the top charge to be dismissed and another that asks the judge to investigate leaks about the case coming from the government.

Spiro requested the trial conclude by March so it doesn’t hang over Adams while his campaign is collecting the signatures needed to appear on the ballot.

Adams did not answer questions yelled to him as he exited the courthouse.