NYC mayor Adams pleads not guilty to federal corruption charges

Eric Adams says he will fight charges stemming from alleged illegal campaign contributions from Turkish sources.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges stemming from alleged bribes taken from Turkish diplomats and businesspeople.

Adams, 64, entered the plea before US Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker at his first appearance in the case in Manhattan federal court on Friday.

“I am not guilty, your honour,” Adams said when Parker asked for his plea.

The hearing came three days after a grand jury moved to indict Adams, a former police officer.

The indictment, unsealed on Thursday, said Adams received campaign funding and luxury travel perks – including rooms at opulent hotels and meals at high-end restaurants – in exchange for pressuring city officials to allow Turkey’s new 36-storey consulate to open despite safety concerns.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Adams pledged to fight the charges and said he would not respond to calls from some of his fellow Democrats to step down as the top elected official in the largest city in the US, with a population of 8 million people.

“I will continue to do my job as mayor,” he said.

Prosecutors allege the scheme in question dates back to 2014, when Adams became Brooklyn borough president. The alleged illegal campaign contributions later helped finance his 2021 campaign for mayor.

Adams speaks during a news conference outside Gracie Mansion [Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo]

He faces five criminal charges and could face decades in prison if found guilty.

Adams’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, said on Friday that he planned to file a motion to dismiss the charges next week.

Among those calling for Adams to resign is US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th congressional district.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, two influential Democrats from New York, have stopped short of joining that appeal.

For her part, New York Governor Kathy Hochul – who has the power to remove Adams from office through a complicated process – said in a statement she would “review my options and obligations as the Governor of New York”.

“I expect the Mayor to take the next few days to review the situation and find an appropriate path forward to ensure the people of New York City are being well-served by their leaders,” Hochul said.

Hiding campaign funds

The indictment alleged Adams hid campaign contributions from Turkish sources by funnelling them through US citizens. That allowed him to receive an additional $10m in public matching for his campaign.

US law forbids foreign contributions to American political campaigns.

Adams also repeatedly accepted free flights from a Turkish airline, worth tens of thousands of dollars, while staying at luxury hotels at far below market rate.

Meanwhile, Adams, at the behest of a Turkish diplomat, pressured city safety inspectors to allow Turkey’s new consulate to open in time for a September 2021 visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the indictment said.

That came even though the building would have failed a fire inspection at the time, the indictment said.

Amid the pressure campaign from Adams, a senior Fire Department official told a subordinate he would lose his job if he did not allow the consulate to open, according to prosecutors.