Eric Adams charged with wire fraud, bribery among other counts
The US district court for the southern district of New York has announced the federal indictment against Eric Adams.
Adams has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals, wire fraud, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national, as well as bribery.
In the 57-page indictment, prosecutors said:
Eric Adams, the defendant, sought and accepted illegal campaign contributions in the form of ânomineeâ or âstrawâ contributions, meaning that the true contributors conveyed their money through nominal donors, who falsely certified they were contributing their own money.
By smuggling their contributions to Adams through US-based straw donors, Adamsâ overseas contributors defeated federal laws that serve to prevent foreign influence on US elections.
Key events
US district court in New York to hold press conference at 11:30am ET on ‘significant public corruption charges’
The US district court for the southern district of New York is set to hold a press conference at 11.30am ET on âsignificant public corruption chargesâ.
The press conference, which will be lead by SDNY attorney general Damian Williams, will follow the unveiling of a 57-page federal indictment against Eric Adams that includes counts of wire fraud, bribery and acceptance of illegal campaign contributions.
Adams has remained defiant and vowed to not resign, saying that he is innocent and âlead I willâ.
Here is more from the federal indictment against Eric Adams:
In 2014, Eric Adams, the defendant, became Brooklyn borough president. Thereafter, for nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish govermnent official seeking to gain influence over him.
By 2018, Adams â who had by then made known his plans to run for mayor of New York City â not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals.
As Adamsâs prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their c01rnpt relationships with him, particularly when, in 2021, it became clear that Adams would become New York Cityâs mayor. Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received.
After his inauguration as Mayor of New York City, Adams soon began preparing for his next election, including by planning to solicit more illegal contributions and granting requests from those who supported his 2021 mayoral campaign with such donations.
Eric Adams charged with wire fraud, bribery among other counts
The US district court for the southern district of New York has announced the federal indictment against Eric Adams.
Adams has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals, wire fraud, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national, as well as bribery.
In the 57-page indictment, prosecutors said:
Eric Adams, the defendant, sought and accepted illegal campaign contributions in the form of ânomineeâ or âstrawâ contributions, meaning that the true contributors conveyed their money through nominal donors, who falsely certified they were contributing their own money.
By smuggling their contributions to Adams through US-based straw donors, Adamsâ overseas contributors defeated federal laws that serve to prevent foreign influence on US elections.
The US district court of the southern district of New York has issued a press guidance for its 11.30am press conference, according to reports.
The guidance said the presser concerns âsignificant public corruption charges,â according to New York Daily Newsâs Molly Crane-Newman.
Federal prosecutors are set to announce charges against Eric Adams at 11.30am ET, according to reports.
The expected announcement comes after the mayorâs Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side was raided overnight with federal agents taking away his phone, among other possessions.
Here are some images coming through the news wires of the overnight raid on Eric Adamsâs Gracie Mansion in New York City:
Here is video of Eric Adamsâs defiant message to New Yorkers last night following reports of a federal indictment against him:
In the two-minute video, Adams refused to resign, saying:
Now, if I am charged, many may say I should resign because I cannot manage the city while fighting the case. I can also understand how everyday New Yorkers would be concerned that I cannot do my job while I face accusations.
But I have been facing these lies for months, since I began to speak out for all of you and their investigation started â yet the city has continued to improve.
Make no mistake: you elected me to lead this city â and lead it I will.â
In response to a question on his thoughts regarding Eric Adamsâs reported indictment, Senate majority leader and longtime New Yorker Chuck Schumer said:
Iâm talking to my doctor,â NBCâs Frank Thorp V reports.
In a show of solidarity with the mayor, the Brooklynâs Democratic partyâs chair, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, has released the following statement in response to Eric Adamsâs reported indictment:
Our laws mandate due process. An indictment is not a conviction. Every American, every New Yorker, is innocent unless proven otherwise â¦
Eric Adams has dedicated his life to this city ⦠Fairness demands simply that Mayor Adams is given what each of us would want: a presumption of innocence.
A reported prisoner transport vehicle left Gracie Mansion a short while ago, according to Fox5âs Robert Moses.
New York City mayor’s residence raided in early morning after reports of federal indictment
Good morning,
Federal agents raided New York City mayor Eric Adamsâs Gracie Mansion residence on the Upper East Side in the early hours of Thursday after reports emerged of the mayor being hit with a federal indictment.
The raid included a group of nearly a dozen men and women in suits entering the property, with several carrying briefcases, backpacks or duffel bags, the New York Times reports.
In a statement following the raid, a lawyer for Adams said: âFederal agents appeared this morning at Gracie Mansion in an effort to create a spectacle (again) and take Mayor Adams phone (again) ⦠He has not been arrested and looks forward to his day in court. They send a dozen agents to pick up a phone when we would have happily turned it in.â
Although the indictment remains sealed, reports are emerging that it includes allegations of foreign influence and corruption, particularly possible illegal campaign donations from the Turkish government.
Adams has maintained his innocence, saying in a video address late on Wednesday night: âIf I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.â
Here are other developments in US politics:
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Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are set to meet at the White House today as Biden announced more than $8m in new military aid to Ukraine.
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Donald Trump and state prosecutors will make an appearance in a New York appeals court today over his $454m civil fraud judgement.
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The Senate has voted unanimously to hold the CEO of Steward Health Care, the bankrupt hospital chain, in criminal contempt for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena.