New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on charges that he accepted bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources.&nbsp;Keep up with the latest news.

News

New York

NYADAMS_storygallery

Matthew Chayes

Every week since September began has brought some new adverse development for New York City Mayor Eric Adams and his circle, who are under at least four federal investigations:&nbsp;a raid, a subpoena, a seizure, a warrant, a resignation, a firing. 
Then there was the most cataclysmic event of all: The corruption indictment Sept. 24 of Adams, the first sitting mayor in New York City's modern history to be criminally charged. 
A steady drip about the investigations had been seeping out over the past year. But the bad news became a torrent soon after Adams' indictment.&nbsp; 
The last seven days have seen a staggering pace of departures from Adams’ City Hall. Some of his closest advisers, ones he’s known and trusted for decades, are gone. His deputy who runs New York City government's day-to-day operations,&nbsp;gone. 
Adams says he’s getting stuff done, and New Yorkers shouldn’t be concerned. 
“Life is tough,” Adams said Tuesday. “And they elected a tough mayor that has gone through a lot.” 
Here is the latest on some of the key people caught up in the scandals that threaten to end Adams’ mayoralty. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-onecms-id="contentid/86a8d21f-6f7c-4e2b-a575-9724db4f1dfa" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/86a8d21f-6f7c-4e2b-a575-9724db4f1dfa', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/86a8d21f-6f7c-4e2b-a575-9724db4f1dfa">STORYWIDGET: NYCHART241009_graphic</a>

NYCHART241009

Probe into NYC Mayor Eric Adams: Tracking staff departures, arrests and more

Who's left in NYC Mayor Eric Adams' administration amid federal probes?

NYCHART241009_photos

Janon Fisher

An ex-New York City liaison for the Muslim community&nbsp;was charged on Tuesday with destroying evidence and witness tampering in the ongoing federal investigation into foreign campaign contributions and straw donors in Mayor Eric Adams' 2021 campaign,&nbsp;federal prosecutors said. 
Mohamed Bahi, 40, a senior liaison in the Community Affairs Unit, who resigned on Monday, helped coordinate straw donations from the owner and employees of a Brooklyn construction company&nbsp;to Adams'&nbsp;election campaign, FBI Special Agent Jacob Balog said in an affidavit. 
When it became clear that federal investigators were on to the alleged scheme, he pressured donors to lie to authorities, according to the indictment, and then&nbsp;deleted the encrypted message app&nbsp;he used to communicate with campaign contributors from his phone. 
Bahi is charged with one count of witness tampering and one count of destruction of records, which each carry a 20-year maximum penalty. 
The allegations against Bahi mirror federal fraud and bribery charges against Adams, which were unsealed on Sept.&nbsp;26. In the indictment against the mayor, federal prosecutors describe a&nbsp;construction company CEO in Brooklyn who attempted to give $10,000 to Adams’ 2021 election campaign to &quot;increase his influence.&quot; 
Instead, Bahi allegedly instructed that the business owner and four employees each give $2,000 with the understanding that the workers&nbsp;would be reimbursed, according to the former City Hall staffer's indictment. 
On June 13, federal investigators raided the businessman’s company as part of their three-year investigation into the mayor's campaign donations.&nbsp;Later that day,&nbsp;Bahi&nbsp;met with the owner and his four employees&nbsp;to tell them to deny the illicit donations, officials said. Investigators said that Bahi told the mayor that the business owner would not cooperate with authorities. 
&quot;Bahi advised the business owner that if he continued to tell that lie to federal investigators the business owner would be OK,&quot; according to the criminal complaint. Bahi took a photo of the federal search warrant served on the men and allegedly told them that if they continued to lie to the FBI, there would be no way for investigators to prove the alleged fraud, prosecutors charge. 
A little more than a week after the raid on the Brooklyn construction company,&nbsp;Bahi deleted the&nbsp;app Signal, an encrypted messaging application, from his cellphone when agents raided his Staten Island home, according to court papers.&nbsp;He had&nbsp;used the app to communicate with the business owner, the&nbsp;FBI alleges. 
Bahi did not enter a plea at his arraignment Tuesday afternoon. He was released on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond by Manhattan federal Judge Robert&nbsp;Lehrburger, who ordered him not to speak with co-conspirators and to stay within the boundaries of Long Island, New York City and New Jersey.&nbsp;His attorney Kevin Puvalowski declined to comment. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Mayor Eric Adams discusses quarterly crime statistics in New York City at One Police Plaza in lower Manhattan on Tuesday. 
" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/2c427db4-9a50-4d65-9820-1ea8dec3a6c4" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/2c427db4-9a50-4d65-9820-1ea8dec3a6c4', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/2c427db4-9a50-4d65-9820-1ea8dec3a6c4"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/2c427db4-9a50-4d65-9820-1ea8dec3a6c4/nyADAMS241009g.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Mayor Eric Adams discusses quarterly crime statistics in New York City at One Police Plaza in lower Manhattan on Tuesday. </a> 
Adams sought to defend Bahi's work in City Hall and denied that he had any role in the alleged illegal acts. 
&quot;I will never instruct anyone to do anything illegal or improper,&quot; the mayor said at his weekly news conference.&nbsp;&quot;The only instruction I give people all the time. Follow the law. Follow the law is my number one instruction that I give people. Anything other than that, I don't give people illegal information.&quot; 
Adams said that Bahi was one of his top contacts with the city's Muslim community even before he became mayor. 
&quot;I always found him to be thoughtful. I always found him to be willing to go into all the communities. But what he has done is really bring down the noise in some of the conflicts we're seeing today,&quot; the mayor said. 
At least four sprawling investigations by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Brooklyn have upended the Adams administration and prompted many of his top officials to resign, including First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright on Tuesday. 
Fabien Levy, spokesman for the mayor, said that Bahi and Winnie Greco, who worked as a liaison with the city’s Chinese community, resigned on Monday. 
&quot;We thank them for their service to the city,&quot; he told Newsday. 
With Matthew Chayes

nyCITY241009

Mohamed Bahi, ex-NYC official, charged with destroying evidence, witness tampering, federal prosecutors say

Feds: Ex-Adams aide charged with destroying evidence, witness tampering

nyCITY241009_photos

Yet another mayoral aide touched by the mushrooming investigations into Eric Adams and his circle is leaving the job: the first deputy mayor, Sheena Wright, who managed the city's day-to-day operations. 
Wright's resignation was announced Tuesday by Adams, who has been shedding staff since he was indicted late last month on corruption charges. Wright&nbsp;is being replaced by Maria Torres-Springer, who had been a deputy mayor in charge of economic and workforce development. She was commissioner of the city's agencies for small business services and housing in the de Blasio administration. 
&quot;She’s a great New Yorker, and I thank her and I wish her well in her future endeavors,&quot; Adams said of Wright, adding: &quot;Sheena, job well done, you make us all proud.&quot; 
Torres-Springer, who was at the news conference, said: &quot;This is a very complex time in our city.&quot; She vowed &quot;to stand shoulder to shoulder with the 300,000 public servants&quot; who work for the New York City government. 
Wright came to her post after a career as a lawyer and nonprofit executive. Last month, the FBI raided the uptown home she shares with her husband,&nbsp;Schools Chancellor David Banks, who&nbsp;is reportedly being investigated in an unrelated case by the federal government after authorities seized his and her electronic devices. 
Since Adams was indicted, Gov. Kathy Hochul has not exercised her power to remove him from office but has reportedly demanded that he purge City Hall of subordinates who are being eyed by the feds. Last week, she called the first of the departures &quot;a good first step.&quot; 
Monday brought the resignations of Phil Banks, the deputy mayor for public safety, and Winnie Greco, an Asian affairs adviser, and the firing of Rana Abbasova, a protocol official in the international affairs office, who is reportedly cooperating with federal authorities&nbsp;against Adams in his corruption case. 
Another who quit Monday was an aide, Mohamed Bahi, who was arrested Tuesday and charged with witness tampering and destruction of evidence in the Adams investigation. 
Last week, senior adviser Tim Pearson resigned, and Adams hastened the planned retirement of David Banks, who is the brother of Phil Banks. 
Adams has pleaded not guilty, vowed to fight the charges and refused demands to resign. The indictment accuses him of trading favorable treatment of Turkish interests for illegal campaign donations and luxury travel. 
On Tuesday, Adams said that the resignations have nothing to do with the corruption investigations. He suggested that Wright left government, in part,&nbsp;because of an encounter with a news photographer late last week in which she pushed away a camera lens. 
&quot;Men and women leave government normally. And then they also leave government when they feel as though people are not treating them with the respect that they deserve,&quot;&nbsp;he said. &quot;Like I saw how Sheena was treated when she was on, on her street. Government is hard and the goal is to do the work and I must make sure that I buffer my team from the inability to do the work.&quot;

nyADAMS241009

Mayor Eric Adams' aide Sheena Wright, who ran city's daily operations, resigns

Eric Adams' First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright resigns

AP24282547639069.jpg

Edward Mangano, Nassau's now-imprisoned former county executive, was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/nassau-county-executive-edward-mangano-and-town-oyster-bay-supervisor-john-venditto">bribed with trips</a> to Florida, St. Thomas, Niagara Falls, and Turks and Caicos. 
Expelled ex-Congressman George Santos is believed to have <a href="https://www.congress.gov/118/crpt/hrpt274/CRPT-118hrpt274.pdf" target="_blank">spent donors' cash</a> to head to the Hamptons, Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos, where he liked to play roulette, according to the House Committee on Ethics. 
New York City Mayor Eric Adams fulfilled a childhood dream of world travel, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/mayor-eric-adams-charges-arraignment-o3kdcnsw">allegedly funded by the Turkish government</a>, flying in the highest class of airline seats and staying in luxury hotel suites, with a chauffeur and fine dining. 
When it comes to traveling the globe on someone else's dime, some public officials can't resist. And it can get them into trouble. 
&quot;Politicians and elected officials, they're very powerful people, in terms of their power to affect public policy, but they're generally not rich. And they're generally not paid in the way rich people are paid,&quot; said <a href="https://www.law.columbia.edu/faculty/richard-briffault" target="_blank">Richard Briffault</a>, a Columbia Law School professor who from 2014 to 2020 chaired New York City's municipal ethics watchdog, <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/coib/about/about-coib.page" target="_blank">the Conflicts of Interest Board</a>. He added: &quot;Sometimes people get caught up with the fact they're important people — and important people fly business class, and I think it's very tempting to fall into that trap.&quot; 
Free or steeply discounted flights in business class aboard Turkish Airlines, along with other perks, are at the heart of <a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-09/u.s._v._adams_indictment_1.pdf" target="_blank">the indictment</a> against Adams, who on Sept. 24 became the first sitting mayor in New York City's modern history to be criminally charged. 
Flights to and from Turkey, France, China, Ghana, Hungary, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal; suites at the St. Regis, including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bentley-and-st-regis-suite-in-istanbul-2015-4" target="_blank">one</a> with marble floors, 24-hour butler service and views of the Bosporus; and a boat tour were some of the perks that allegedly came at an illegal price: favorable treatment Adams facilitated from the New York City government for Turkish benefactors who gave or arranged for disguised political contributions to Adams' campaigns. 
Among the alleged favorable treatment from Adams: helping the Turkish government get <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTRo6qxeNTs" target="_blank">its new Manhattan consulate</a> green-lighted to open by the FDNY, even though it was unsafe and would have failed a safety inspection, in time for a planned visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 
Adams, according to the indictment, would fly Turkish Airlines even when it was inconvenient due to needless layovers. He once joked in a text message, excerpted in the indictment, that misspelled Turkey's biggest city: &quot;You know first stop is always instanbul.&quot; 
Adams, who <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/mayor-adams-surrenders-to-feds-ahead-of-1st-court-appearance" target="_blank">turned himself in</a> on Sept. 27, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/mayor-eric-adams-charges-arraignment-o3kdcnsw" target="_blank">pleaded not guilty</a> to wire fraud, bribery and conspiracy to receive campaign funds from foreign nationals. He vowed to &quot;fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.&quot; He said he wouldn't <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/eric-adams-maintains-innocence/5840614/" target="_blank">resign but &quot;reign.&quot;</a> 
<h2>Luring politicians with free travel</h2> 
Foreign governments have long sought to lure federal officials with free travel, but Adams is alleged to be among the first municipal officials in American history to fall into that trap, according to Casey Michel, director of <a href="https://hrf.org/team/casey-michel/" target="_blank">the Combating Kleptocracy Program</a> at the Human Rights Foundation in Manhattan. 
&quot;These officials are humans just like the rest of us. Who doesn't like a free trip anywhere?&quot; said Michel, author of <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250286062/foreignagents" target="_blank">&quot;Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World,&quot;</a> which came out in August. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="The Bentley Suite at the St. Regis in Istanbul (left, bathroom; center, bedroom) typically costs $7,000 for two nights, but in 2017 Eric Adams paid less than $600, according to the indictment. For a 2019 trip, Adams got free dinners, a boat trip, a Turkish bath and a stay in the St. Regis Cosmopolitan Suite (right, living room), the indictment alleges. The stay alone would have cost $3,000 for two nights.
" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/294c19b4-434e-4195-b836-934742aad453" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/294c19b4-434e-4195-b836-934742aad453', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/294c19b4-434e-4195-b836-934742aad453"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/294c19b4-434e-4195-b836-934742aad453/Adams.10.comp.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />The Bentley Suite at the St. Regis in Istanbul (left, bathroom; center, bedroom) typically costs $7,000 for two nights, but in 2017 Eric Adams paid less than $600, according to the indictment. For a 2019 trip, Adams got free dinners, a boat trip, a Turkish bath and a stay in the St. Regis Cosmopolitan Suite (right, living room), the indictment alleges. The stay alone would have cost $3,000 for two nights. </a> 
For his part, Adams <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/728-24/transcript-mayor-adams-holds-person-media-availability" target="_blank">on Tuesday said</a> at a news conference that he likes to travel because he never thought he could, growing up as a poor kid in South Jamaica, Queens. When Adams graduated from Bayside High School in the late 1970s, he recalled, he jotted down on the back of his school portrait 100 places he wanted to see. 
&quot;I wanted to make sure that I saw the globe. Some people looked at that, and say there's something suspicious. Why does he want to go to these different countries? Because too many children that look like me believe the globe is in 1 square mile of their home, and I want to constantly remind them that the globe belongs to them,&quot; Adams said. 
Later in the week, he said his travel began long before he was mayor. 
&quot;I saved my little pennies when I was a rookie cop,&quot; he said. 
Adams would bring companions with him, including his girlfriend, according to the indictment. 
Others in Adams' circle also are being scrutinized for their trips. 
Winnie Greco, an Adams fundraiser and Asian affairs director whose Bronx homes were <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/02/29/winnie-greco-fbi-raid/" target="_blank">raided</a> in February by the FBI, <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/728-24/transcript-mayor-adams-holds-person-media-availability">traveled to Israel</a>. She has not been charged with a crime. 
Adams rebuffed <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2022-nyc-deputy-mayor-phil-banks/" target="_blank">critics</a> in 2022 when he appointed his longtime friend Phil Banks, a former NYPD chief, to be <a href="https://a856-gbol.nyc.gov/GBOLWebsite/GreenBook/Details?orgId=7560" target="_blank">deputy mayor for public safety</a>. Banks played a role in a corruption case in which he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/07/nyregion/eric-adams-philip-banks-deputy-mayor.html">accepted</a> all-expense-paid trips courtesy of men who later pleaded <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/nyregion/jona-rechnitz-corruption-sentencing.html" target="_blank">guilty</a> to bribery. 
(On Monday, Adams announced that Banks had resigned.) 
Banks was not criminally charged, but federal prosecutors labeled him an unindicted co-conspirator. 
Banks accepted those paid trips, to Israel and the Dominican Republic, as well as steakhouse dinners, $6,000 in basketball tickets and other gifts. Photos entered into evidence show Banks in Israel smoking cigars, smeared in mud at the Dead Sea, posing at the Western Wall and flexing his muscles shirtless in the water. Prosecutors said that Banks gave the men favors including prime parking spots at NYPD headquarters, a police escort to the Times Square ball drop on New Year's Eve, and a gold card: &quot;Family Member of Chief Philip Banks III,&quot; which afforded the holder to special treatment by police. 
And now Banks is once again under the alleged corruption spotlight. 
Last month, in one of at least four corruption investigations into Adams and his circle, Banks' home was among those <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/fbi-raids-adams-administration-officials-nypd-ij1ujusn" target="_blank">raided</a> by the FBI. The federal officials are investigating Banks, who took <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/09/13/philip-banks-saferwatch-schools-eric-adams/" target="_blank">swift action</a>, unsuccessfully, to get a panic button app made by a company represented by one of his brothers, political consultant Terence Banks, to be adopted by the public schools, according to the news outlet The City. One of the Banks brothers, David Banks, is the outgoing schools chancellor. 
Christopher Caffarone, who was one of the prosecutors in the Mangano case, said investigators scrutinize benefits like free trips with suspicion, especially when the person bankrolling the trip has business directly before a public official or the government that employs them. 
Of prosecutors and investigative agents, Caffarone said, &quot;I think they're looking at different types of payments that go beyond people in a dark alley accepting a bag of cash.&quot; 
Mangano, who is <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/edward-mangano-corruption-conviction-appeal-linda-hmd0qumf" target="_blank">appealing</a> his conviction, was found guilty in 2019 of taking the bribes and in turn attempting to convince Oyster Bay Town to guarantee loans for improvements to concessions operated by former restaurateur Harendra Singh at a town-owned golf course and beach. Singh testified against Mangano and acknowledged he bribed him. Singh was sentenced to a reduced term in prison due to his cooperation. 
Caffarone, who's <a href="https://www.pillsburylaw.com/en/lawyers/christopher-caffarone.html" target="_blank">now in private practice</a>, declined to comment on Mangano, who is serving <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/former-nassau-county-executive-edward-mangano-and-his-wife-linda-mangano-sentenced" target="_blank">a 12-year prison sentence</a>. In addition to the trips, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/nassau-county-executive-edward-mangano-and-town-oyster-bay-supervisor-john-venditto#:~:text=%2C%20as%20well%20as%20an,his%20family%20and%20associates." target="_blank">Mangano got bribed</a> with hardwood flooring, a massage chair, meals and a watch for his son, among other gifts. 
If there is an ostensible public purpose, members of Congress can travel the world for free at public expense and can even bring along a spouse, said Meredith McGehee, an expert on government ethics. Travel can also be entirely covered by a nonprofit and must be approved by the chamber's ethics committee, but it almost always is. Where the high jinks tend to come into play, she said, is when lawmakers pair the official trip with a fundraising add-on, paid for by donors: skiing, the Super Bowl, golf. 
<h2>Disguising personal travel</h2> 
Besides accepting free trips from would-be bribers, there are several other ways public officials can put themselves in legal jeopardy for travel-related shenanigans, including misusing publicly funded travel to disguise a personal vacation as necessary for one's job, spending campaign donations on one's own vacation, and accepting privately funded trips paid for by a funder who has business before the government. All three can expose the official to civil, criminal or both kinds of liability. 
Santos, who in August <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/george-santos-guilty-plea-central-islip-federal-court-yto3mkiz" target="_blank">pleaded guilty</a> to wire fraud and identity theft, is believed to have misused campaign funds at a skin spa in Jericho, in Las Vegas for his honeymoon, on the Atlantic City jaunts, and beyond. 
Sometimes travel is just one part of a suite of goodies bestowed on a politician by influence-seekers. 
Earlier this year, a now-former Los Angeles city councilman, Jos&eacute; Huizar, was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-los-angeles-politician-jose-huizar-sentenced-13-years-federal-prison" target="_blank">sentenced</a> to 13 years in prison after the FBI caught him accepting $1.8 million of casino chips, stays at luxury hotels, sex workers and a liquor box full of cash from a Chinese developer who wanted city approval to put up a 77-story skyscraper that would have been the tallest tower west of the Mississippi River. The skyscraper was never built. 
Sometimes, being caught taking trips from those with business before the government doesn't result in criminal prosecution. 
Such was the case with James Sanders Jr., a Queens lawmaker who in 2021 <a href="https://archive.citylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/coib/ED/arch-20/Sanders-Board-Order.pdf">was fined</a> $15,000 by the Conflicts of Interest Board for accepting stays in luxury accommodations at a Poconos resort and dinner cruises for his family, paid for by a nonprofit that he helped get nearly $850,000 during his time on the New York City Council. 
The law is stricter when a foreign government is the one extending perks. There is more room for Americans to give politicians and other officials special privileges, such as junkets that include travel and accommodations for spouses, too. 
&quot;A lot of the travel is considered kosher, even if it may look a little funny,&quot; said Gary Leff, author of the blog <a href="https://viewfromthewing.com/" target="_blank">View from the Wing</a>. He spoke to Newsday while outside the VIP Room inside one of the most prestigious lounges at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where there is <a href="https://viewfromthewing.com/inside-a-room-you-dont-get-to-see-at-dcs-national-airport-american-airlines-admirals-club-vip-space/" target="_blank">a discreet suite</a> primarily for politicians and other officials. Its design is inspired by the Library of Congress. 
<h2>Raising the bar for a conviction</h2> 
Combating political corruption has gotten tougher under recent U.S. Supreme Court precedents intended to rein in prosecutorial overreach and a &quot;boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute.&quot; 
In <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/mcdonnell-v-united-states/" target="_blank">overturning</a> a case against Virginia's ex-Gov. Robert McDonnell, who along with his wife accepted gifts including an expensive island vacation, as well as a Ferrari, a Rolex watch, and a ball gown, the high court unanimously ruled in 2016 that while &quot;tawdry,&quot; the largesse doesn't count as bribery just because an official set up a meeting, talked to another official or organized an event, without a quid pro quo. In doing so, the Supreme Court has narrowed anti-corruption laws, raising the evidentiary burden for what prosecutors must show. 
To sustain a conviction for bribery in a corruption case, a prosecutor must prove there was a quid pro quo, said Caffarone, the Mangano prosecutor. 
Adams' <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/31/how-alex-spiro-keeps-the-rich-and-famous-above-the-law">lawyer Alex Spiro</a> has argued that Adams broke no laws, engaged in no quid pro quo, and simply got airline upgrades to otherwise empty seats. It's akin to what members of Congress get, he said. 
&quot;Congressmen get upgrades, they get corner suites, they get better tables at restaurants, they get free appetizers, they have their iced tea filled up,&quot; Spiro said Monday, soon after filing a motion to dismiss the bribery charge. &quot;Courtesies to politicians are not federal crimes.&quot; 
In 2018, after a deadlocked jury, a mistrial and judge’s ruling that there was no explicit quid pro quo proved in a key part of the case, now-former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey had charges dropped in a prosecution that accused him of accepting luxury travel from a donor in exchange for preferential treatment and a lucrative contract. 
The donor had whisked Menendez off to Paris, where he slept in the executive suite at the highest-tier Hyatt. Menendez also flew on the donor’s private planes and stayed for free at his private villa resort in the Caribbean, where homes sell for as much as $40 million. 
In July, in an unrelated case, Menendez was convicted of corruption involving bribes including cash and gold bars. 
As for Adams, he said he's visited &quot;a substantial number of those countries&quot; he jotted down on the back of his high school portrait. He made good on his adolescent wanderlust, allegedly with substantial help from the Turkish government. 
Asked Tuesday about Turkish Airlines' menu and service, and whether he'd recommend the carrier, Adams smiled and chuckled. 
&quot;You know, I love that question,&quot; Adams told reporters. &quot;Great service, great service.&quot;

Long Island

Politics

nyADAMS241006

NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Turkey: A history of public officials and luxury travel

Beyond Mayor Eric Adams and Turkey: A history of public officials and luxury travel

nyADAMS241006_photos

At least three more scandal-tinged aides to New York City Mayor Eric Adams are departing his administration, including a deputy mayor the feds are investigating for alleged graft and two fundraisers-turned-City-Hall staffers who are suspected of facilitating illegal campaign donations. 
The rapid shedding of mayoral aides — totaling at least a half dozen since Adams' indictment in late September — comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul has declined to use her power to remove Adams from office but is reportedly demanding that he cleanse his administration of those who are being investigated by federal officials. 
Adams has pleaded not guilty and vowed not to resign despite a Marist poll that found 69% of New Yorkers believed he should. 
Monday’s highest-profile resignation was Phil Banks, who is deputy mayor for public safety and a longtime confidant to Adams. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Winnie Greco during a Lunar New Year Celebration at Gracie Mansion on Feb. 8, 2022. " data-attr-credit="Mayoral Photography Office" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/e4d4162a-31ea-47b4-a9ce-a27e367dfe71" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/e4d4162a-31ea-47b4-a9ce-a27e367dfe71', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/e4d4162a-31ea-47b4-a9ce-a27e367dfe71"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/e4d4162a-31ea-47b4-a9ce-a27e367dfe71/51870876896_8ca939e2f8222.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Winnie Greco during a Lunar New Year Celebration at Gracie Mansion on Feb. 8, 2022. </a> 
Later in the day came news of the departures of the fundraisers from Adams spokesman Fabien Levy: Winnie Greco, Adams' Asian affairs director, whose homes were raided earlier this year, resigned; and Rana Abbasova, an Adams international affairs protocol official, was fired. 
None of the three departing officials — Banks, Greco and Abbasova — has been charged with a crime. 
Abbasova, who allegedly helped facilitate the Turkish donations and travel that led to Adams' indictment, is reportedly cooperating with the federal government. She had been suspended from her job with Adams. Her home had been raided by the FBI last year. 
Greco is reportedly being investigated for allegedly coordinating illegal straw donors. 
Banks, a former NYPD chief whose home was raided last month by the FBI <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/mayor-eric-adams-fbi-raid-r85357" target="_blank">and his phones seized</a>, submitted his resignation over the weekend, Adams said Monday morning. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Rana Abbasova was the director of protocol in the Mayor's Office for International Affairs. " data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/bd194ddd-f3e5-47e5-a7b6-0a17513534e7" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/bd194ddd-f3e5-47e5-a7b6-0a17513534e7', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/bd194ddd-f3e5-47e5-a7b6-0a17513534e7"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/bd194ddd-f3e5-47e5-a7b6-0a17513534e7/Rana-Abbasova20707.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Rana Abbasova was the director of protocol in the Mayor's Office for International Affairs. </a> 
&quot;He stated he wants to transition to other things with his life, and he doesn’t want this to be a constant burden on the work that we’re doing in the city, and I accepted his resignation,&quot; Adams told NY1 in an interview. Adams added: &quot;I wish my good friend well.&quot; 
It's the latest resignation of controversial aides that have followed Adams' <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/mayor-eric-adams-indicted-federal-charges-rk7af7ze" target="_blank">indictment</a> late last month on corruption charges alleging he accepted illicit donations from Turkish nationals and <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/adams-indictment-luxury-travel-turkish-government-w4tmgvbe" target="_blank">luxury travel</a> in exchange for facilitating favorable treatment for his benefactors from the city government. He has <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/mayor-eric-adams-charges-arraignment-o3kdcnsw" target="_blank">pleaded not guilty</a> and vowed to fight the charges. 
Last week, Adams <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/david-banks-the-new-york-city-schools-chancellor-wzk4e44t" target="_blank">accelerated</a> the already hasty departure of his schools chancellor, David Banks, who is Phil Banks' brother. The resignation of Sheena Wright, Adams' first deputy — David Banks' wife and Phil Banks' sister-in-law — is reportedly imminent. Another aide whose home was raided, Tim Pearson, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/tim-pearson-new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-sf8qd391" target="_blank">resigned</a> last week. The corruption probes into Wright, the Banks brothers and Pearson appear to be distinct from the one that led to Adams' indictment. 
Adams has been close to the Banks family for decades and considers their patriarch, a longtime cop, to have been one of his mentors. Adams rebuffed critics in 2022 when he appointed Phil Banks to be deputy mayor for public safety, with a portfolio including the police, fire, probation, correction and emergency management departments. Phil Banks played a role in a corruption case in which he accepted all-expense-paid trips courtesy of men who later pleaded guilty to bribery. 
Phil Banks was not criminally charged, but federal prosecutors labeled him an unindicted co-conspirator. 
Now Banks is once again under the alleged corruption spotlight. 
Federal officials are investigating Banks, who took swift action, unsuccessfully, to get a panic button app made by a company represented by one of his brothers, transit supervisor turned political consultant Terence Banks, to be adopted by the public school system, according to the news outlet The City. 
In recent weeks at City Hall, Phil Banks has rebuffed inquiries about the looming investigations, repeating to several reporters, &quot;Go New York, go New York, go,&quot; and telling another journalist that she needs a breath mint because of her supposed bad breath. 
On Monday, Adams feted Banks' tenure for, among other accomplishments, helping combat so-called &quot;ghost cars&quot; — vehicles with fake, altered or otherwise phony license plates — and illegal cannabis shops. 
&quot;I always want my great employees to stay,&quot; Adams said on the PIX11 morning show. He added: &quot;I would love for him to stay as long as he wanted.&quot;

nyADAMS241008

3 more top aides, including deputy mayor Phil Banks, leaving scandal-plagued Adams administration

3 more top aides, including deputy mayor, leaving Adams administration

nyADAMS241008_photos

Federal prosecutors said on Wednesday that it is &quot;quite likely&quot; they will file two additional charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and add codefendants, who they say conspired with the mayor in his alleged public corruption&nbsp;scheme. 
&quot;We’re moving very quickly,&quot; Manhattan federal prosecutor Hagan Scotten&nbsp;told U.S. District Court Judge Dale Ho at Adams’ second appearance in the case, but said he did not have a definitive date for the new charges. 
Last week, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams&nbsp;charged in a five-count indictment that for nearly 10 years Adams received free and deeply discounted business class air travel, luxury hotel stays and fancy meals from Turkish businesspeople and a government official. 
The federal prosecutor also said that the same Turkish benefactors donated tens of thousands of dollars to Adams' mayoral campaign — a violation of federal election law — and hid the campaign cash through straw donors. Additionally, the politician is alleged to have circumvented the prohibition of foreign donations in the city’s matching campaign funds program, netting Adams millions of dollars in public funding. 
Defense attorney Alex Spiro, who on Monday filed a motion to dismiss the bribery charge against the mayor, called it a &quot;weak case.&quot; 
Spiro dismissed the consulate incident, arguing that Adams was the Brooklyn borough president, not the mayor, at the time and had no authority to order the FDNY to do anything. 
Prosecutors allege that after years of receiving secret campaign funds and free travel, Adams pressured the FDNY commissioner and other fire safety officials to open the Turkish Consulate in Manhattan ahead of a visit by the country’s president despite safety concerns. 
Scotten said Wednesday that the investigation into Adams began in the summer of 2021. 
In his motion to dismiss the bribery charge, Spiro said that the case was based on a single witness &quot;with an ax to grind.&quot; He also cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found bribery charges can only be supported if the prosecution can point to official acts performed in exchange for gifts or money. 
The defense attorney sparred with prosecutors during&nbsp;Wednesday's hearing, taking issue with, among other things, what he called a &quot;fake raid at Gracie Mansion&quot; on the day the indictment was unsealed. 
&quot;They have information — all four of them,&quot; he said pointing at the prosecutors, &quot;that their key witness lied to them in this case.&quot; 
The defense lawyer said that he did not want to delay the case. &quot;We do not want this case dragging,&quot; Spiro said. 
Most of Wednesday's hearing dealt with scheduling for the case and the sharing of evidence between prosecutors and the defense team. 
Scotten said that turning over some evidence could be classified information that would require a security clearance to receive. 
Other evidence includes emails, text messages, voicemails, photographs and other records. 
Scotten said there would be email evidence from secondary witnesses acting on the mayor’s behalf instructing them to lie to the FBI regarding the alleged corruption scheme. 
The judge declined to set a date for trial but agreed with the defense lawyer that the case should be resolved before the June 2025 primary. 
Spiro pushed for the case to go to trial in February or at least before the end of March, before the certification of the ballots for the election. 
&quot;At trial, we expect the mayor to be acquitted,&quot; he said. &quot;The process is quite different for an acquitted mayor, an innocent mayor from a convicted man. It’s a different process for the voters.&quot; 
Ho agreed that the public and the mayor have a &quot;strong interest&quot; in resolving the case quickly. Nonetheless, he designated it a complex case and set the next hearing date for Nov.&nbsp;1.

nyADAMS241003

Prosecutors 'quite likely' to bring additional charges against Mayor Adams, U.S. Attorney's Office says

Adams 'quite likely' to face two more charges in alleged corruption case, federal prosecutors say

nyADAMS241003_photos

Prosecutors say it is &quot;quite likely&quot; that New York City Mayor Eric Adams will face two more charges and have co-defendants added to the case.&nbsp;

nyADAMS241003_video

Prosecutors: Two more charges, co-defendants 'quite likely' in case against Mayor Eric Adams

New York City

Newsday

NYC mayor 'quite likely' to face more charges, prosecutors say

onecms_b58cb9c2-b9e8-4e55-bf66-c5daf5fbebdb_36a43ace-5759-4ebd-8a59-b161b2696694.jpg

David Banks, the New York City&nbsp;schools chancellor, is being forced out&nbsp;months before he had planned to step down, as Gov. Kathy Hochul pressures Mayor Eric Adams to boot aides&nbsp;in the crosshairs&nbsp;of federal corruption investigators. 
Banks' hastened resignation, now set for mid-October, was announced Wednesday evening by Adams' press office, just a week after Banks said he's step down Dec. 31; on Thursday, a statement issued by Banks' publicist, the TASC Group, said Banks had been &quot;ready, willing and able&quot; to stay on until that date, but &quot;The Mayor has decided to accelerate that time.&quot; 
Banks — whose home&nbsp;he shares with his now-wife,&nbsp;Sheena Wright, first deputy for Adams, had been raided by the FBI in early September&nbsp;—&nbsp;is the latest senior staffer to abruptly leave. Banks and Wright&nbsp;were married in the past few days on Martha's Vineyard. 
He was supposed to leave the chancellorship at the end of 2024 and be replaced by Melissa Aviles-Ramos in the new year; instead, she’ll take over Oct. 16. 
&quot;In advancing this mission, it became clear that our students will be best served by having the same leadership through as much of the school year as possible, rather than changing chancellors halfway through,&quot; according to a statement from Adams spokeswoman Amaris Cockfield. &quot;We have decided to accelerate the start date of Chancellor Aviles-Ramos to October 16th so that she can immediately begin executing on her vision for New York City Public Schools.&quot; 
David Banks, 62, is one of at least a half-dozen Adams staffers to have their homes&nbsp;raided and cellphones seized by federal investigators looking into potential corruption. 
He is one of three brothers — Phil, the deputy mayor for public safety, and a political consultant, Terence, are the other two — under federal investigation. None of the Banks brothers has been charged.&nbsp;The feds are <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/09/13/philip-banks-saferwatch-schools-eric-adams/" target="_blank">reportedly</a> investigating the hiring of Terence Banks by a Florida tech company that had been trying to deploy an emergency alert app into the city public schools, which David Banks runs, and the swift action taken by Phil Banks to help. 
David Banks' resignation came hours&nbsp;after Adams&nbsp;appeared in federal court on his corruption case; the mayor&nbsp;was charged last week with a campaign scheme in which he allegedly traded illicit donations from Turkish nationals&nbsp;and luxury travel for favorable treatment and other favors. He has pleaded not guilty. 
Earlier this week, another aide reportedly being scrutinized by the federal government, senior adviser to the mayor Tim Pearson, announced his abrupt resignation. 
Hochul, who has the power to remove Adams from office, has reportedly been pushing him to get rid of&nbsp;aides who are tarnished by&nbsp;scandal. 
On Wednesday, she&nbsp;called Pearson's departure &quot;a good first step.&quot; 
&quot;We expect changes,&quot; she said. &quot;That’s not a secret.&quot; 
In announcing his Dec. 31 departure, Banks had said he wanted to step down because he was out of energy. 
&quot;After 40 years,&quot; he said at the time, &quot;I'm tired. And that's the God's honest truth.&quot;

Education

NYCHANCELLOR241003

New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks' exit hastened

NYC schools chancellor's exit moved up

NYADAMS240927

Mayor Eric Adams' lawyers sought&nbsp;sanctions Tuesday against Manhattan federal prosecutors on the mayor's&nbsp;corruption case for violating his&nbsp;right to a fair trial by allegedly leaking grand jury testimony to the press, according to court filings. 
An attorney on the mayor's defense team, Alex Spiro, asked Manhattan federal judge Dale Ho&nbsp;to schedule a hearing on the issue, and if the allegations are proved,&nbsp;bring penalties against the prosecutors. 
&quot;Given the government’s refusal to police its own misconduct, the court must intervene to protect the mayor’s pretrial and trial rights, [and]&nbsp;preserve the integrity of the judicial process,&quot; Spiro wrote in his motion, adding that the judge must ensure future compliance with grand jury secrecy rules &quot;in a case where the government admits it is still looking for evidence to support its theories.&quot; 
On Monday, lawyers for the mayor filed a motion to dismiss at least part of the case based on the alleged leaks and&nbsp;accusations&nbsp;the federal government twisted&nbsp;ordinary constituent services into a nonexistent bribery scheme and&nbsp;relied&nbsp;on a single, biased witness &quot;with an axe to grind.&quot; 
Last week, Adams became the first sitting&nbsp;New York City mayor in modern history to be indicted. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams&nbsp;on Sept.&nbsp;26 announced that the mayor had been charged with soliciting and accepting campaign contributions from Turkish nationals and&nbsp;subverting campaign finance law by hiding the origin of those donations through straw donors and bribery. 
Spiro, in the 29-page brief, said&nbsp;news of the indictment broke before&nbsp;the mayor’s legal team found out about it. Besides, &quot;The Times,&quot; according to the motion, the only others who could have known were prosecutors, grand jurors and court staff. 
&quot;But of those,&quot; the brief says, &quot;only the prosecution team would have been privy to the government’s plan to announce additional details the next day ... It is therefore clear that the prosecution team is responsible for the leak.&quot; 
A spokesperson&nbsp;for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.&nbsp; 
On Tuesday at his weekly press briefing, Adams assailed the drip-drip of leaks&nbsp;about the federal investigation. 
&quot;My understanding of grand jury testimony and actions are secret,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;We have a system of justice where we try cases in courtrooms, not in boardrooms or the streets. And I spoke with my counsel over and over again, and stated to them, 'you know, this is just not right.' &quot; 
Supporters of Adams, including churchgoers and members of the NYPD's Black fraternal organization the Guardians, rallied Tuesday evening on the steps of City Hall to reject calls for the mayor's&nbsp;ouster.&nbsp;Adams, who attended, vowed he wouldn’t resign, and the crowd chanted, &quot;four more years!&quot; 
News of the investigation into Adams broke nearly a year ago, in November 2023, when the New York Times and other outlets <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/nyregion/eric-adams-brianna-suggs-fbi-raid.html">reported that the FBI</a>&nbsp;had raided the Crown Heights, Brooklyn, home of the mayor’s chief fundraiser Brianna Suggs. Suggs has not been criminally charged. 
Spiro notes in the motion&nbsp;that the newspaper reported it had a copy of the search warrant, which has yet to be made public, and mentioned that three iPhones, two laptops and papers had been seized. 
Days later, CNN reported that the investigation focused on campaign donations to Adams by foreign nations. 
In the indictment, prosecutors charge that Adams received expensive upgrades on Turkish Airlines, among other luxury services, and in exchange leaned on the FDNY&nbsp;to open a newly constructed 36-story Manhattan Turkish consulate despite fire safety issues. 
Public sentiment has turned against the mayor because of the leaks, according to the brief. 
&quot;A cascade of critical articles based on one-sided, misleading leaks by the government has eroded public support for the Mayor long before he was ever charged with a crime and able to defend himself in court,&quot; the lawyer wrote. 
Attorneys for the mayor brought the issue up to federal prosecutors earlier in the year and asked them to stop the leaks but the&nbsp;U.S. Attorney’s office did not admit&nbsp;it was the source of the information, the motion says. 
“Nor does the government appear to have taken any action whatsoever to try to turn off the spigot of confidential investigative information that began flowing to the media nearly a year before the Mayor was charged,” the lawyer said. 
The result of the leaks, Spiro&nbsp;said, has also been a drumbeat of public officials calling for Adams’ resignation, making it difficult to perform his elected duties. Additionally, it may have turned the pool of potential jurors against the mayor. 
&quot;And by leaking information to the press, the government has infringed the mayor’s right to a taint-free grand jury process and impeded his ability to obtain a fair trial from an impartial jury,&quot; the lawyer said. 
Washington, D.C. lawyer Mark Zaid, who represents whistleblowers in the national intelligence community, said that the mayor's lawyers could be onto something. 
&quot;Obviously, there can be significant consequences, to include criminal, civil, judicial and administrative/ethical penalties, for any proved leaks of grand jury information,&quot; Zaid said in an email.&nbsp;&quot;If it were shown to originate from the prosecution, or at least the federal government, it could also undermine the continuing prosecution of Mayor Adams. Alas, these leak cases are often difficult to pin down given the number of people who usually have access to information but I have little doubt the Court will take the matter seriously and express serious caution to the prosecution to get their house in order.&quot; 
With Matthew Chayes

nyADAMS241002

Mayor Eric Adams' lawyer files brief arguing media leaks have violated right to fair trial

Mayor's attorney: Media leaks violated right to fair trial

NYC Mayor Investigations

Mayor Eric Adams' lawyers Monday &nbsp;sought the dismissal of at least part of the criminal case against him, accusing&nbsp;the federal government of twisting ordinary constituent services into a nonexistent bribery scheme, relying on a single, biased witness &quot;with an axe to grind,&quot; and illegally leaking to the press. 
The motion to dismiss says the prosecution&nbsp;violated&nbsp;recent U.S.&nbsp;Supreme Court precedents that shield public officials from prosecutorial overreach and comes after &quot;years of casting about for something, anything, to support a federal charge against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.&quot; 
Adams on Friday <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/mayor-eric-adams-charges-arraignment-o3kdcnsw">pleaded not guilty</a>. He was indicted and <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/mayor-eric-adams-indicted-dp1cnoi9">charged with five counts</a>&nbsp;alleging&nbsp;he partook in a campaign scheme to accept illegal donations and luxury travel in exchange for doing favors for people affiliated with the Turkish government. 
<h2>Historic charges</h2> 
He is the first sitting mayor in modern New York City history to be criminally charged. He has vowed to stay in office, telling a church service Sunday that he would continue to <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/eric-adams-maintains-innocence/5840614/" target="_blank">&quot;reign.&quot;</a> 
One of the alleged favors was&nbsp;successfully leaning on the FDNY to green light the opening of Manhattan’s <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/is-the-turkish-skyscraper-at-the-center-of-mayor-adams-indictment-safe" target="_blank">Turkish consulate building</a>, when it would have failed a safety inspection, in time for a visit by Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The allegation, the motion argues, is&nbsp;&quot;extraordinarily vague&quot; and the case &quot;does not amount to a federal crime at all.&quot; 
&quot;The indictment does not allege that Mayor Adams agreed to perform any official act at the time that he received a benefit,&quot; the motion says. &quot;Rather, it alleges only that while serving as Brooklyn Borough President — not Mayor, or even Mayor-elect — he agreed generally to assist with the ‘operation’ or ‘regulation’ of a Turkish Consulate building in Manhattan, where he had no authority whatsoever, in exchange for travel benefits (e.g., upgrades to vacant business-class seats and a car ride to a restaurant).&quot; 
Criminalizing what Adams did, the motion says,&nbsp;&quot;encompasses a wide array of normal and perfectly lawful acts that many City officials would undertake for the consulate of an important foreign nation, such as arranging meetings with regulators, offering advice about how to navigate the City’s bureaucracy, and referring diplomatic personnel to attorneys who specialize in regulatory affairs or building-code disputes.&quot; 
<h2>Accusations in motion</h2> 
The motion, which spans 21 pages, says the contours of the alleged axe&nbsp;the witness has to grind would be revealed down the road. 
The filing cites a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/26/supreme-court-bribes-gratuities-corruption-mayor/">three-month old ruling</a>&nbsp;by the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;that narrowed the scope of a federal anti-bribery law by finding it’s not illegal&nbsp;for a local official to accept a gratuity for acts the official has already taken. In that case, an Indiana mayor had been convicted of receiving $13,000 from a truck company that had recently gotten contracts totaling over $1 million for new garbage trucks. The court overturned the conviction. 
Adams' case is due back Wednesday at Manhattan federal court. 
Alex Spiro of Manhattan, one of the lawyers who signed the motion, said at a news conference Monday that the legal team is seeking first to dismiss the bribery charge and would soon tackle the other counts. 
&quot;Gratuities are not federal crimes. Courtesies to politicians are not federal crimes,&quot; Spiro said. 
He accused the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District, which is prosecuting Adams, of committing unethical and illegal conduct by violating grand-jury secrecy rules and leaking details, drip-drop to the press, for nearly a year. That office didn't return an email seeking comment. 
Just before Spiro's news conference at his&nbsp;Manhattan&nbsp;law office, Adams held&nbsp;one in Queens, <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/723-24/mayor-adams-launches-final-phase-historic-project-secure-future-new-york-city-s-water" target="_blank">discussing</a> badly needed repairs to a key aqueduct that could have the effect of altering the taste of New York City water. 
Asked about the prosecution, Adams said he would continue to do the job of mayor — and show&nbsp;Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to boot him from office, that he is succeeding. 
&quot;The goal is to continue to show that we’re going to continue to move in the right direction, and we’re doing that,&quot; Adams said, invoking a longtime mantra of his, one he has even embroidered onto baseball caps: &quot;You heard me say it over and over again: ‘Stay focused, no distraction and grinds,’ all of ya hear that in your sleep.&quot; 
As reporters peppered him, Adams turned to an aide: &quot;Could I have some of that water?&quot;&nbsp;

nyADAMS241001

Mayor Eric Adams indictment: Lawyers seek dismissal, arguing bribery scheme nonexistent 

Lawyers for Mayor Eric Adams seek to dismiss part of criminal case

nyADAMS240928_photos

Tim Pearson, a controversial confidant to Eric Adams who is&nbsp;among the mayoral aides being investigated on suspicion of corruption, has resigned as Adams’ senior adviser, his attorney confirmed late Monday. 
Pearson's resignation is effective Friday, said the attorney, Hugh Mo, of Manhattan. Pearson is the latest Adams aide to step down amid at least four investigations, including one that led to the mayor's indictment and arraignment last week on corruption charges. 
&quot;I think that he resigned to step aside so the mayor could continue to govern without any of the distractions,&quot; Mo told Newsday Monday evening. 
The investigation into Pearson, who helped oversee contracting, ostensibly to cut costs,&nbsp;reportedly centers around whether he sought a cut of migrant contracting dollars. He is also being sued for sexual harassment by multiple&nbsp;accusers and under&nbsp;investigation&nbsp;for storming into a migrant shelter, failing to identify himself, beating up migrant shelter security guards and having them arrested. 
Mo said none of those allegations are true. 
&quot;All of these allegations of alleged misconduct are not supported by facts,&quot; he said. 
Pearson’s phone is among several electronic devices belonging to&nbsp;Adams' aides to be seized by federal investigators over the past year or so. 
In the past month, resignations have included the police commissioner, health commissioner, chief counsel and schools chancellor. 
Soon after being appointed, it was revealed that Pearson was triple dipping — drawing six figure salaries from a Queens casino, his police pension and his senior adviser job. He quit the casino job after news of it became public. 
Mo declined to provide a copy of the resignation letter. He referred an inquiry to City Hall. Spokesman Fabien Levy, who didn’t provide Pearson's letter&nbsp;but sent a statement attributed to Adams:&nbsp;“Tim has had a long career in both the public and private sectors, where he has spent over 30 years keeping New Yorkers safe. We appreciate Tim’s decades of service to this city and wish him well.”

NYAIDE241001

Tim Pearson, aide to embattled Mayor Eric Adams, stepping down, lawyer says

Adams aide resigning, lawyer says

NYAIDE

Anthony M. DeStefano

The federal indictment of Mayor Eric Adams on corruption charges is the fourth major scandal in a century to touch City Hall. One case in particular, that involving scandal-scarred Mayor Jimmy Walker in 1932, may provide a road map for what happens next to Adams' hold on his job. 
Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power under the City Charter to begin proceedings to remove Adams from office but has so far shown&nbsp;no signs that she intends to begin efforts to do so.&nbsp;The only precedent for such a move&nbsp;sparked Walker's resignation&nbsp;in the waning days of the Great Depression. 
Walker, known as &quot;Beau James&quot; because of his bon vivant lifestyle, was caught up in a number of investigations led by New York Judge Samuel Seabury. Beginning In 1931, Seabury&nbsp;found corruption in the NYPD vice squad, as well as mismanagement in some City Hall agencies. 
But the biggest scandal uncovered by Seabury revealed that Walker benefited financially from friends&nbsp;and other businessmen who had dealings with city agencies. In 1932, Seabury uncovered evidence that Walker had a previously unknown brokerage account that&nbsp;accumulated more than&nbsp;$1 million and took improper gratuities. 
Then-Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt, in the summer of 1932, invoked provisions of the City Charter to hold his own hearing about Walker’s financial dealings. The mayor denied taking bribes but the evidence didn’t look good. His political allies in Tammany Hall told him &quot;Jim, you are through.&quot; Walker resigned on Sept.&nbsp;1, 1932, before Roosevelt could remove him. He traveled through Europe with his girlfriend Betty Compton, a showgirl,&nbsp;and died in 1946 at the age of 65. 
Walker was never criminally charged in connection with the scandal.&nbsp; 
If Hochul seeks to remove Adams, she must follow a similar path as Roosevelt, hitting the mayor&nbsp;with charges and giving him an opportunity to defend himself. Pending a hearing, the governor could also suspend Adams for up to 30 days. Legal experts said any action by Hochul could complicate the criminal case against Adams because a gubernatorial hearing could delve into areas covered by the federal trial evidence. 
A so-called &quot;inability committee&quot; provision in the charter allows a group of city council members and other officials to remove Adams if he is temporarily or permanently unable to do his job. But the process is more complicated than that afforded&nbsp;Hochul. 
City Hall scandal also touched Mayor William O’Dwyer, former Brooklyn district attorney.&nbsp;O’Dwyer was elected&nbsp;mayor in 1945 and&nbsp;reelected in 1949. But a police corruption investigation tainted O’Dwyer's second term and ensnared his top aide James Moran. O’Dwyer, who was dogged by his association with gangsters likes Frank Costello, never faced charges&nbsp;but resigned in 1950. He was later&nbsp;appointed ambassador to Mexico. O’Dwyer died in 1964 at age 74. 
Mayor Edward I. Koch won reelection three times from 1977 to 1986. But his third term was quickly ruined by the city Parking Violations Bureau scandal that ensnared Queens Borough President Donald Manes,&nbsp;who would die&nbsp;by suicide amid the investigation,&nbsp;Bronx Democratic Party leader Stanley Friedman and others. Koch himself was not implicated but the scandal effectively ended his political future. After his third term, Koch practiced law and became a political commentator. He died in 2013.

nyHIST241001

City Hall history a guide for any move to remove Mayor Eric Adams

History's role in Mayor Adams' future

“Stay focused, no distractions and grind” is a mayoral mantra that Eric Adams chants at rallies, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ericadamsfornyc/reel/CVy0mNxAg9W/" target="_blank">posts to Instagram</a> and even embroiders on hats. 
But the distraction of federal investigations, culminating in Adams’ historic <a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-09/u.s._v._adams_indictment_1.pdf" target="_blank">indictment</a> last week on corruption charges, has made it harder to focus on governing the nation’s biggest city. And the storms threaten to grind the municipal bureaucracy into paralysis. 
“It’s difficult. You know, we do get distracted. It’s hard sometimes to focus,” said Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Adams’ top adviser, hours after criminal investigators intercepted her at Kennedy Airport on Friday&nbsp;returning from a vacation to Japan, seized her cellphone and told her that her home was currently being searched. 
At least a dozen others in Adams’ circle have been subpoenaed, had their homes raided by the FBI, seen their electronics seized or been served with warrants. There are at least three, and possibly four, other pending investigations besides the one for which Adams was indicted. He <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/mayor-eric-adams-charges-arraignment-o3kdcnsw" target="_blank">pleaded</a>&nbsp;not guilty. 
Appointees are quitting. Vacancies — a <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-york-playbook/2023/05/25/there-are-24-000-empty-jobs-slowing-the-city-down-00098754" target="_blank">problem</a> for most of Adams' mayoralty, even before the scandals&nbsp;— are piling up. The drama notwithstanding, the city of 8.3 million people and its sprawling, <a href="https://council.nyc.gov/press/2024/06/30/2639/" target="_blank">$112.4 billion</a> government must continue to function. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="New York City Mayor Eric Adams on March 27, 2024 in Woodhaven, Queens, at a “Talk to Eric” event, wearing a hat bearing his slogan” “Stay Focused No Distractions and Grind.” Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office" data-attr-credit="Mayoral Photography Office" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/e9f5eef0-6230-44a0-a632-c6eba8b6e8ec" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/e9f5eef0-6230-44a0-a632-c6eba8b6e8ec', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/e9f5eef0-6230-44a0-a632-c6eba8b6e8ec"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/e9f5eef0-6230-44a0-a632-c6eba8b6e8ec/NYGOVT240931.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />New York City Mayor Eric Adams on March 27, 2024 in Woodhaven, Queens, at a “Talk to Eric” event, wearing a hat bearing his slogan” “Stay Focused No Distractions and Grind.” Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office</a> 
<h2>Government still running</h2> 
Experts said that the bread-and-butter duties of civil servants probably aren't&nbsp;meaningfully being affected, but the tumult at the top is likely to stagnate big-picture policies and jeopardize the city in times of crisis. 
“For day-to-day activity, for&nbsp;the normal things that government has to do, that will continue, with relatively little disruption, because the government is so well staffed with so many capable people,” said Chris McNickle, author of the book &quot;To Be Mayor of New York&quot; and others&nbsp;about former mayors&nbsp;David Dinkins and Mike Bloomberg. 
Fabien Levy, Adams’ deputy for communications, said the government is running well and doing the things people expect. 
“The trash is still getting picked up, the streets are still being patrolled by officers, kids can still go to school,” Levy told Newsday on Friday at City Hall. “I think that’s what the majority or&nbsp;if not all 8.3 million New Yorkers care about. And that’s gonna continue to work every day.” 
&nbsp;He added: “You can see, your city government’s still working. We have dozens of city agencies and commissioners and hundreds of thousands of city employees that continue to do work every single day. None of them are affected.”&nbsp; 
Still, long-term projects — such as Adams’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/planning/plans/city-of-yes/city-of-yes-overview.page" target="_blank">&quot;City of Yes,&quot;</a> the ambitious&nbsp;proposal to ease the city's record-low vacancy rate by revamping the zoning code and creating 100,000 new homes, or another to remove trash-filled bags from the sidewalk and <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/dsny/collection/containerization/residential-containerization.page" target="_blank">containerize</a> garbage instead&nbsp;— are now going to be harder to implement.&nbsp; 
Leaders get things done by allocating resources to allies, using the power of the bully pulpit and overwhelming foes.&nbsp;All of that is immeasurably more difficult when wounded by scandal, McNickle said. 
“It’s a promise being made by a person who might be changing public residence from Gracie Mansion to a federal detention center,” McNickle said. “He’s not in a position to keep promises he might make.&quot; 
<h2>What about emergencies?</h2> 
<a href="https://manhattan.institute/person/nicole-gelinas" target="_blank">Nicole Gelinas</a>, a senior fellow at the right-leaning Manhattan Institute, is concerned about how the administration’s troubles might imperil the response to a&nbsp;crisis that demands 24/7 mayoral leadership. 
“Say Adams had to be in court one morning, and we had a major weather event or other type or event in the city, would the federal prosecutors give him leeway to skip court on that day? What is the situation that we’re entering here?” 
The day his indictment was unsealed, Adams&nbsp;signed <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/home/downloads/pdf/executive-orders/2024/eo-45.pdf" target="_blank">an executive order</a> transferring&nbsp;the duties of his first deputy, Sheena Wright, whose home was raided earlier this month by the FBI, if she leaves her post. Currently, the first deputy mayor is in charge when the mayor is out of town or otherwise temporarily indisposed. The order transfers the powers of the first deputy to another deputy, Anne Williams-Isom, who oversees health and human services. 
The leadership of the city’s public safety apparatus — <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nypd-commissioner-edward-caban-federal-probe-yy6nga7j" target="_blank">police</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/13/nyregion/fdny-commissioner-laura-kavanagh-resign.html" target="_blank">fire</a>, <a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2022/11/nyc-buildings-commish-eric-ulrich-resigns-following-gambling-probe/379285/" target="_blank">buildings</a>, <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/10/31/nyc-jails-boss-louis-molina-stepping-down-to-take-city-hall-post-amid-crisis-at-rikers/" target="_blank">jails</a> — have all seen resignations.&nbsp; In the most recent example, the police commissioner, Edward Caban, resigned soon after the FBI seized his&nbsp;phone&nbsp;as well as&nbsp;those of his twin brother&nbsp;and others in senior NYPD jobs. Soon came news that the feds <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/raids-nypd-commission-thomas-donlon-pn404e01" target="_blank">raided</a> the homes of Caban's interim replacement, Tom Donlon.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Mayor Eric Adams keeps a photo in his City Hall office of his predecessor Jimmy Walker, mayor from 1926 to 1932, who fled to Europe with his mistress before he could be criminally charged with corruption. " data-attr-credit="Politico" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/4003196a-fdfb-4b7e-bd4f-b085d184d725" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/4003196a-fdfb-4b7e-bd4f-b085d184d725', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/4003196a-fdfb-4b7e-bd4f-b085d184d725"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/4003196a-fdfb-4b7e-bd4f-b085d184d725/NYGOVT240929.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Mayor Eric Adams keeps a photo in his City Hall office of his predecessor Jimmy Walker, mayor from 1926 to 1932, who fled to Europe with his mistress before he could be criminally charged with corruption. </a> 
Although Adams is the first mayor in modern New York City history to be criminally charged while in office, he’s not the first to face debilitating scandal. Mushrooming <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/remembering-ed-kochs-scandalous-third-term" target="_blank">corruption probes</a> in the 1980s led&nbsp;Ed Koch to contemplate suicide. The bribe-taking, womanizing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-J-Walker" target="_blank">Jimmy Walker</a>, mayor from 1926 to 1932, would have been charged had he not fled with his mistress to Europe. And <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/mayor-william-odwyer-new-york-city-mob-180973078/" target="_blank">William O'Dwyer</a>, mayor from 1946 to 1950, quit and was appointed ambassador to Mexico while under the weight of a bookie scandal involving cops in Brooklyn. 
But nowadays the mayoralty is far more powerful, and the public expects more from government than in Jimmy Walker’s time, said McNickle,&nbsp;&nbsp; who's writing a fourth book that will cover the O'Dwyer scandal.&nbsp; 
As for Adams, he came into office in 2022 promising to &quot;get stuff done,&quot; and he said he's not done doing that. 
In the aftermath of the indictment, Adams has gone about his business&nbsp;as usual, meeting with an Italian journalist, dancing at a senior center in Harlem, delivering impromptu remarks to personnel at City Hall and speaking from a pulpit at a Jamaica, Queens, church. 
“I do a lot of praying, and I’m looking forward, when I leave here, to go on and continue to do what I do, moving our city forward,” Adams said Saturday. “That is what needs to take place now.”

nyGOVT240929

Eric Adams indictment: New York City mayor must govern while facing federal charges  

Indicted Eric Adams still has a city to run

nyGOVT240929_photos

Yancey Roy

Eric Adams had been a police officer, a state senator and a borough president before becoming mayor of New York. He has faced investigations at each stop. 
The <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-indicted-lresmv92">federal indictment</a>&nbsp;unveiled Thursday against Adams —&nbsp;on corruption charges of wire fraud and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals — is far beyond&nbsp;his brushes with other matters. But it also is just the latest&nbsp;ethical controversy for Adams. 
There was the <a href="https://hellgatenyc.com/nypd-eric-adams-disciplinary-records/">police tribunal</a> that docked him for speaking without authorization when he was a cop. There was the city <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/04/18/eric-adams-campaign-contributions-lobbyists-developers/">Department of Investigation </a>determination that Adams, when Brooklyn borough president, violated conflict of interest laws but no charges ensued. 
And there was the State Inspector General<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/attachments.readmedia.com/9f047d7606996729a6f0d95a50998a86.pdf"> report</a> in 2009 that found Adams, then a state senator involved in the <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/report-slams-paterson-2-dems-for-aqueduct-slot-contract-i85049">awarding of video slot machines</a> at Aqueduct Racetrack, gave non-credible testimony to investigators about the matter, accepted campaign cash from a gambling company and displayed &quot;exceedingly poor judgment&quot; by attending a victory party for the winning vendor. However, unlike other senators involved, Adams was not accused of ethical violations. 
&quot;Adams has kind of lived a charmed life in terms of actually having to pay a price for flirting with questionable activity,&quot; said John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany, a watchdog group. 
An Adams spokesman didn’t immediately return calls to comment. 
Adams became the first modern New York mayor ever indicted in office&nbsp;when the U.S. Attorney’s Office leveled five corruption charges against the Democrat. The mayor has said the charges are untrue and that he won’t resign, though he is sure to be under great pressure to do so. 
He has said his attorneys will be handling his legal matters while he runs the city. 
Gov. Kathy Hochul said the allegations were &quot;shocking in scale&quot; but didn’t immediately call for the mayor to step down.&nbsp; 
Here’s a look at some of the Adams controversies. 
<h2>Casino</h2> 
In 2010, Adams was a state senator and head of the Racing and Wagering Committee, which had a role in selecting a bidder to operate video slot machines at Aqueduct. 
Then-Gov. David A. Paterson and the State Legislature chose AEG, but the award was later disqualified following a scandal unearthed by a state inspector general’s report that found the selection was driven by lobbyists and political favors. 
Two other senators eventually were accused of ethical violations. Adams wasn’t.&nbsp;However, the inspector general said he had &quot;maneuvered&quot; the governor to support AEG. 
The inspector general noted that Adams hosted a birthday bash during the process where he received political donations, some from lobbyists. Also, the IG said Adams and other senators used &quot;exceedingly poor judgment&quot; by going to a celebratory dinner with AEG principals and lobbyists at the home of a lobbyist even before the contract had been finalized. 
Adams always has defended his actions, <a href="https://www.brooklynpaper.com/adams-denies-incredible-testimony-on-corrupt-aqueduct-gaming-plan/">once saying</a>, &quot;My conduct during this process was always proper and above reproach.&quot; 
But watchdogs called it a black mark for state government that is still remembered well around the halls of Albany. 
&quot;It was a damning report of how the Senate handled it and it set back the casino process for years,&quot; said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group. &quot;It painted a picture of Albany politics at its worst.&quot; 
<h2>NYPD</h2> 
Adams had a 22-year career as a police officer and faced several internal probes, according to multiple media reports. One focused on his associations with people who had been convicted of crimes, including former boxer Mike Tyson. Investigators didn’t conclude Adams broke any rules. 
But a police tribunal in 2006 found he was guilty of violating rules by speaking for the NYPD without authorization. Adams was docked some vacation pay. 
In a 2021 New York Times interview, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/nyregion/eric-adams-investigations.html">Adams said</a>: &quot;You do an analysis of my Internal Affairs Bureau investigations, you’ll see they all come out with the same thing. Eric did nothing wrong.&quot; 
<h2>Brooklyn</h2> 
When Adams became borough president, he created the One Brooklyn Fund to help residents access services. But the nonprofit attracted investigators' attention over its promotion of Adams and its fundraisers. 
The city Department of Investigation found the nonprofit failed to comply with conflict-of-interest rules by holding an event at Borough Hall where some attendees, some of whom were seeking grants, were asked about giving financial support to the entity. 
In another incident, the DOI determined Adams’ office wrongly tried to license use of Borough Hall to the mayor’s office for an anti-domestic violence event, with the licensing fee to be paid to One Brooklyn. 
Adams didn’t face action for either incident.

Region/State

stPROBE240929

Eric Adams faced other investigations during his career as cop, elected official

NYC Mayor Eric Adams has faced investigations before in his career

Olivia Winslow

The next in line if embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams were to step aside is Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, who served nearly a decade on the City Council and has run unsuccessfully twice for statewide office. 
Williams, 48, has described himself as a democratic-socialist and has supported a range of progressive causes. He&nbsp;long has sought more oversight of policing in the city and most recently championed the How Many Stops&nbsp;Act, which requires&nbsp;police to provide more information about who they question. 
Former Gov. David A. Paterson said he’s known Williams for 16 or 17 years and called him &quot;a very progressive thinker.&quot; 
&quot;He is, I think, an inspirational figure,&quot; Paterson said in an interview with Newsday. &quot;He's very straight up about things. He tells you exactly what he thinks.&quot; 
Adams, indicted this week on campaign corruption-related charges, pleaded not guilty on Friday and has vowed to stay in office and fight the allegations against him. But if he were to resign, Williams would take over and would be required to call a special election that would happen within about three months. 
Williams said in a statement Thursday that his role has been &quot;to fight for the transparency, accountability and governance that New Yorkers deserved.&quot; He vowed to work with other elected officials and public servants &quot;to ensure our city continues to operate in any eventuality.&quot; 
The public advocate, a position created in 1993, is a nonvoting member of the New York City Council with the right to introduce and co-sponsor legislation, according to the office’s website. The duties include serving as &quot;an ombudsman for city government, providing oversight for city agencies, investigating citizens' complaints about city services and making proposals to address perceived shortcomings or failures of those services.&quot; 
Before becoming public advocate, Williams was on the City Council from 2010 to 2019. He ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2018 and lost the primary to current Gov. Kathy Hochul by less than 7 percentage points. He lost to her again in the 2022 primary for governor. 
He described himself on the public advocate’s website as a &quot;first-generation Brooklynite of Grenadian heritage,&quot; who had overcome the difficulties of Tourette's Syndrome and ADHD to earn a master's degree from Brooklyn College. 
In interviews, Williams has talked about additional health issues in his family, noting that a daughter was born prematurely while his wife battled cervical cancer. In a 2022 interview with Crain's New York Business, Williams said he had a &quot;beautiful healthy baby girl, and my wife is cancer-free.&quot; 
Williams has had the support of the Working Families Party of New York, which backs progressive-leaning candidates. Jasmine Gripper, the party’s co-director, called Williams a &quot;people’s champion.&quot; 
She said in an interview that he supported &quot;higher wages for workers, access to educational services and child care and housing equity and housing access.&quot; She also cited Williams' positions on policing that involved what she called a &quot;holistic approach to safety.&quot; 
Paterson praised Williams' values, recalling an incident when Paterson was governor in 2008 and his pledge to send supplies to Haiti after a devastating hurricane went awry. 
The supplies never got there, and there was finger pointing at a news conference about who was to blame. Paterson said Williams was there but merely said somebody in the governor's office messed up. 
&quot;He could've easily taken a shot at me to make me look bad,&quot; Paterson said. &quot;But he didn't do it ... That's the type of character he had.&quot; 
Williams’ support of the How Many Stops Act&nbsp;brought him into conflict with Adams, who vetoed it earlier this year before the City Council overrode him. According to news reports, police officials were concerned the law would lead to longer response times on urgent calls. 
The city's Police Benevolent Association did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment on the new law or on Williams. 
Williams said in his statement that he felt &quot;disbelief and indignation&quot; over the indictment. 
&quot;I felt the same disbelief and indignation that I know many New Yorkers feel, upset that this is where our city is in this moment,&quot; Williams said. &quot;This is a painful time, and the looming unknowns and uncertainties only add to the confusion and chaos at City Hall in an untenable situation.&quot; 
Williams went on to say that &quot;it is the mayor's obligation to prove to New Yorkers that there is a real plan and path to govern the city effectively and regain trust, and his time to show that plan is rapidly running out.&quot;

POWILLAMS240928

Next in line to become city's mayor is Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams

Next in line to become mayor of New York is Jumaane D. Williams

POWILLAMS240927_photos

Payton Guion

Federal prosecutors say New York City Mayor Eric Adams solicited illicit campaign contributions from foreign nationals and accepted free and upgraded luxury travel accommodations that he failed to disclose. 
Adams used his influence as Brooklyn borough president and later as mayor to benefit the Turkish government, which the feds allege was behind the bribes, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday. 
Adams, who denies the allegations, faces five counts of public corruption, including wire fraud, bribery and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national, according to the indictment. 
Here are the highlights of the allegations: 
<h2>Improper campaign funds</h2> 
During his first campaign for mayor, Adams texted a supporter about how he planned to get the city’s top job. 
&quot;You win the race by raising money ... have to raise money. Everything else is fluff,&quot; the mayor said, according to the indictment. &quot;I have a 7 million dollar race. I have a clear plan to raise it and each night we are out executing the plan.&quot;&nbsp; 
Prosecutors allege that part of that plan was to accept campaign donations from foreign nationals, who are not permitted to make political donations,&nbsp;by using a web of straw donors. 
Starting in 2018, Adams began raising money for his mayoral run from contacts he had made in Turkey and continued throughout the campaign, according to the indictment. 
On April 2, 2021, just months before Adams was elected mayor, he, along with a fundraiser and a staffer, had dinner with a Turkish government official and a Turkish businessman, where they allegedly planned further campaign donations. 
The next month, that businessman held a fundraiser for Adams, before which he had allegedly paid 10&nbsp;of his employees $1,250 each so they could make donations to Adams themselves. Eight of those employees made the contributions, while one made the donation in his wife’s name and another made a contribution of $1,200, according to the indictment. 
Prosecutors allege more instances of this type of conduct through 2021, as Adams was elected mayor, and say that Adams employed a similar scheme through 2024 as part of his reelection campaign. 
Because of New York City’s Matching Funds Program, which matches individual campaign contribution with up to eight times that amount in public money, prosecutors say Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign received more than $10 million in matching public funds because they concealed the straw donations. 
&quot;Adams and those working at his direction falsely certified compliance with applicable campaign finance regulations despite Adams’ repeated acceptance of straw donations, relying on the concealed nature of these illegal contributions to falsely portray his campaigns as law abiding,&quot; the indictment says. 
<h2>Travel perks</h2> 
In 2016, a Turkish government official introduced Adams to the general manager of Turkish Airlines, who allegedly provided Adams and companions free and heavily discounted air travel and accommodations over the next several years. 
Between 2016 and 2021, Adams accepted travel perks valued at more than $100,000 to places like India, China, Hungary and Ghana, prosecutors say. Adams didn’t report those upgrades and accommodations in his financial disclosures, according to the feds. 
Prosecutors allege that Adams on multiple occasions hid the free travel accommodations, going as far as to create fake invoices. 
After Adams was elected mayor, the Turkish Airlines manager allegedly told an Adams staffer that the manager expected to be on Adams’ mayoral transition team and hinted that if they weren’t, the travel perks might dry up. 
The airline manager was soon named to Adams’ Infrastructure, Climate and Sustainability Committee. 
<h2>‘A true friend of Turkey’</h2> 
Prosecutors say the benefits Adams was allegedly receiving were done with an expectation that he would help the Turkish government when the time came. 
In September 2021, that time had come. 
The Turks had been building a 36-story building across the street from the United Nations headquarters&nbsp;that would house the Turkish Consulate as well as multiple Turkish diplomatic missions. It was called Turkevi Center or Turkish House. 
Construction was complete by the end of August 2021 and the plan was to have Turkish House open when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited that September. 
But the building had not passed its fire inspection and did not have a certificate of occupancy. 
On Sept. 5, 2021, a Turkish official told the Adams staffer that it was &quot;his turn&quot; to support Turkey. Adams responded through the staffer, &quot;I know.&quot; 
Adams then allegedly leaned on the FDNY commissioner and, over the objections of FDNY inspectors, the FDNY gave the necessary approval that allowed Turkish House to get its certificate of occupancy. 
When Adams let the Turkish official know about the FDNY approval, the official said to Adams, &quot;You are a true friend of Turkey.&quot;

nyINDICT240927

Mayor Eric Adams indicted: Highlights of the allegations

Highlights of the allegations against NYC mayor

nyINDICT240927_photos

NewsdayTV&#39;s Drew Scott and Newsday columnist Joye Brown break down the indictment of New York City&nbsp;Mayor Eric Adams and discuss what could happen next.

nyINDICT240927_video

Breaking down Mayor Eric Adams' indictment

'Bribery, conspiracy and fraud'

MAYOR ADAMS SOT 2 092624.00_00_20_08.Still001.jpg

Mayor Eric Adams likes to shrug&nbsp;he’s &quot;perfectly imperfect.&quot; A swaggering ex-cop who's&nbsp;whipsawed between police detractor and police defender. A Republican before he became a Democrat. A self-described vegan who was <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/07/adams-food-police-vegan-fish-00006205" target="_blank">unabashed</a> when <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/nyregion/eric-adams-la-baia-zero-bond.html" target="_blank">caught eating branzino</a>. A prophet who knew that his election to the mayoralty had&nbsp;always been divine destiny. 
&quot;Thirty-something years ago, I woke up, out of my sleep in a cold sweat,&quot; Adams <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/06/19/mayor-adams-says-god-told-him-hed-lead-nyc-asked-him-to-publicly-proclaim-faith/" target="_blank">said</a> last year. &quot;God spoke to my heart and said, ‘You are going to be the mayor January 1, 2022.’ ” 
Now Adams — criminal arraignment looming&nbsp;on <a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-09/u.s._v._adams_indictment_1.pdf" target="_blank">federal corruption charges</a> that he monetized his office, allegedly scheming to solicit foreign contributions&nbsp;in exchange for&nbsp;luxury travel — <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/im-just-in-my-job-moment-mayor-adams-cites-biblical-figure-amid-federal-investigations" target="_blank">likens</a> his struggle to that of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Book-of-Job" target="_blank">the biblical Job</a>, a blameless family man abruptly hit with a satanic test of faith in the form of harrowing catastrophe that robs him of everything he holds dear. 
For Adams, it's all on the line: his freedom, his legacy, his mayoralty. 
Adams, who is 64, was <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nyc-mayor-eric-adams-takes-office-q03403">sworn in at the 2021-into-2022 Times Square ball drop</a>, having run on a law-and-order platform and promise to awaken the nation’s premier city from its COVID-19 pandemic slump.&nbsp; 
<h2>A compelling story</h2> 
On the&nbsp;stump, Adams, the rightmost Democrat of the 2021&nbsp;field,&nbsp;told of his compelling biography: the son of a single mom in Jamaica, Queens, who feared the family could become homeless at any time;&nbsp;he turned his &quot;pain into purpose&quot; following a beating by the NYPD in Queens and his jailing&nbsp;at a Bronx juvenile hall,&nbsp;to become a cop himself, and later captain. He was&nbsp;also an activist in a fraternal organization called 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, which was&nbsp;critical of alleged racist abuses by the NYPD. And Adams later&nbsp;ran for office, becoming a&nbsp;state senator and Brooklyn borough president. 
His&nbsp;experience on both sides of the law, he told the public, made&nbsp;him&nbsp;uniquely suited to reverse a rise in crime. 
In his mayoral campaign, Adams stitched together a coalition — the city’s business elite, who gave campaign contributions, voters who included blue-collar homeowners, Blacks, Hispanics, immigrants and&nbsp;Orthodox Jews&nbsp;— and won, but <a href="https://apnews.com/article/eric-adams-wins-nyc-democratic-mayoral-primary-9c564828a29831747f9c2e6f52daf55e" target="_blank">barely</a>. His primary election victory was little more than 8,400 votes, about 1 percentage point, and he became the city’s second Black mayor. 
Adams promised to get tougher on crime, from the petty to the felonious (&quot;This is not a city where any and everything goes,&quot; he’s said), but also cut red tape (&quot;We have become so boring as a city,&quot; Adams said. &quot;I want to become a city of excitement.&quot;). 
Sporting an ear <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2021/07/07/living-up-to-my-promise-eric-adams-gets-ear-piercing-after-winning-democratic-nyc-mayoral-primary/" target="_blank">pierced in celebration of victory</a>, Adams became a habitu&eacute; of the city’s nightlife, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2024/06/25/gossip/mayor-eric-adams-parties-in-hamptons-as-nyc-faces-crime-budget-talks/" target="_blank">gallivanting</a> out to the Hamptons for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/nyregion/eric-adams-donors-mayor.html" target="_blank">political fundraisers</a>, partying, mingling with rich and famous New Yorkers.&nbsp; 
&quot;If you’re going to hang out with the boys at night,&quot; he likes to say, &quot;you got to get up with the men in the morning.&quot; 
But Adams has long been inscrutable. During the campaign, it was never clear where Adams actually lived: Fort Lee, New Jersey? If in Brooklyn, at which of his multiple homes? And was <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2021/06/08/burning-the-midnight-oil-eric-adams-mysterious-whereabouts-off-the-campaign-trail-1385412" target="_blank">he really sleeping inside Brooklyn Borough Hall</a>? 
In 2013, he was a star witness in federal court, testifying against the NYPD's stop, question and frisk practice, in a case that ended in a landmark court <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/12/stop-and-frisk-landmark-ruling" target="_blank">ruling</a> finding it&nbsp;unconstitutional. 
<h2>Bright political future</h2> 
<a href="https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2021/06/24/adams-declares-himself-future-of-the-democratic-party-ahead-of-final-election-results-1386968" target="_blank">He</a> and some pundits said he was the future of the Democratic Party. He <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/15/nycs-eric-adams-im-the-symbol-of-black-manhood/" target="_blank">called</a> himself&nbsp;&quot;the symbol of Black manhood in this city, in this country.&quot; 
Soon after taking office, his mayoralty became bogged down by accusations of patronage, nepotism and cronyism.&nbsp; 
He tried to hire his own brother to be a $210,000 director of mayoral security, an appointment the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board quickly <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/15/nycs-eric-adams-im-the-symbol-of-black-manhood/" target="_blank">shot down</a>. (The brother could work for $1 if he wanted, the board said.)&nbsp;Adams&nbsp;put other friends and family into senior posts, at a rate unlike any mayor in recent history. 
It wasn’t the first time he’d raised eyebrows in public office. 
He once <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiuJ_lhMIZo" target="_blank">starred in a YouTube video</a>&nbsp;teaching parents how to search their kids’ rooms and bookbags for drugs and weapons. In 2007, as a freshman in the State Senate, he took to the chamber floor and channeled the Cuba Gooding Jr. character in the movie &quot;Jerry Maguire,&quot; <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/brooklyn-senator-show-me-the-money/" target="_blank">thundering</a> that he deserved a raise: &quot;Show me the money. Show me the money. That’s what it’s all about.&quot; 
As Brooklyn borough president, Adams&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brooklynpaper.com/beep-compares-twitter-user-to-kkk-after-calling-out-placard-abuse/" target="_blank">likened</a> a critic who asked him and his staff not to park illegally in a public park to the terror of the Ku Klux Klan. 
Adams, an unapologetic&nbsp;<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/19/us-news/mickey-boozy-traps-alabama-farms-mayor-eric-adams-rat-hatred-has-a-long-tail/" target="_blank">hater</a> of rats who had made ridding the city of the scourge of the rodents a signature aspiration and policy initiative of his mayoralty,&nbsp;once <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/09/05/brooklyn-bp-eric-adams-has-new-secret-weapon-in-rat-war-and-the-bodies-to-prove-it/" target="_blank">gleefully</a> helped trap rats to be drowned and killed. 
&quot;The rats don't run this city,&quot; Adams likes to say. &quot;We do.&quot;

nyBIO240927

Behind the meteoric rise of New York City Mayor Eric Adams

Eric Adams had meteoric rise before indictment

nyBIO240927_photos

Joshua Solomon

Four Democrats are trying&nbsp;to establish themselves as early contenders for the next mayor of New York, regardless of whether Eric Adams remains the city’s top executive following a federal indictment unsealed Thursday. 
The declared field of candidates, or those formally exploring a run, for the 2025 mayoral race in New York includes 21 people, including Adams — but most of the candidates have yet to set up a campaign apparatus or raise money for the desired position. 
The Democratic candidates to make clear their interests: New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, of Brooklyn; former New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, of Manhattan; state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, of Brooklyn; and state Sen. Jessica Ramos, of Queens. 
Lander, Myrie and Stringer called for Adams’ resignation. Ramos avoided going that far. 
Lander&nbsp;is part of a five-member committee, which, according to the city charter, can be convened to vote to remove the mayor. On Thursday at City Hall, he said &quot;we should give the mayor a few days to consider the circumstances and think about whether he will resign.&quot; 
Lander has led inquiries into the Adams’ administration’s uses of no-bid contracts and procurement methods. In doing so, he has added to the collection of questions around the current administration and bolstered his recognition with the electorate. 
Myrie&nbsp;is a lawyer who has served in the state Senate since 2019. He serves as the chair of the Senate’s Committee on Elections and has been a key player in the state’s gun legislation. He noted the indictment is &quot;especially painful for so many Black New Yorkers who put our hope and faith in this mayor.&quot; 
&quot;We need a leader who is fully focused, without distraction, on the enormous challenges we face — from housing affordability to public safety,&quot; Myrie said. 
Ramos has served in the state Senate since 2019 and previously worked in City Hall and with labor unions. She chairs the Senate Committee on Labor.&nbsp;Ramos has been a leading force against a potential casino around&nbsp;the Mets'&nbsp;Citi Field. 
&quot;New Yorkers feel frustrated and abandoned,&quot; Ramos said.&nbsp;&quot;This, above all else, is unforgivable. A new day for our city is long overdue.&quot; 
Stringer served as New York City Comptroller from 2014 to 2021. Previously he was Manhattan Borough president and, before that, a longtime Assemblyman. His bid for mayor in 2021 was upended by a&nbsp;scandal. 
&quot;The mayor's entitled to the presumption of innocence, but we New Yorkers are entitled to the presumption of confidence and effectiveness in government,&quot; Stringer told Newsday.&nbsp;&quot;He must focus on the indictment, but we New Yorkers have to meet the needs of the citizens, and it's gonna be very challenging for him to do that.&quot; 
Other individuals could enter the fray, especially after the indictment of Adams. 
Pollsters have queried New Yorkers on their favorability toward former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 under multiple scandals and a potential impeachment trial from the state Legislature. A spokesman for Cuomo did not respond to a request for comment. 
With Matthew Chayes

NYCANDIDATES240927

NYC Mayor Eric Adams indicted: Which candidates are looking to replace him

These candidates are looking to be the next NYC mayor

NYCANDIDATES240927_photos

Gov. Kathy Hochul called the indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams on federal corruption charges “shocking in its scale,” but said she will be “deliberative” before taking a stance or action. 
State Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said the justice process must play out and he won’t call for the mayor’s resignation. 
Others aren’t waiting, including would-be mayoral replacements. They said Adams cannot govern while under a legal cloud and must step down. 
But perhaps importantly for Adams, none of the resignation calls came from any of the top elected Democrats and major party players in New York State. 
Adams was indicted on five counts of corruption, including wire fraud and soliciting campaign donations from foreign nationals. The mayor has said the charges are untrue and he won’t resign — though he is sure to be under great pressure to do so. 
For now, many of the leading players in New York Democratic circles are waiting before telling the mayor to step aside. 
The governor has the power to remove a mayor, per the New York City charter. But a governor has never removed a New York mayor. In 1932, Mayor Jimmy Walker resigned not long after then-Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt held hearings about alleged corruption in Walker’s administration. 
Hochul sought to give few hints about her view, other than promising to be “thoughtful” about coming to a “resolution of what to do.” 
“I will say this: I will take my time to review this indictment, see what’s embedded in it,” Hochul told reporters. “I am not going to send any indication, at this time, of what I’m going to do because it would be absolutely irresponsible of me.” 
She later said of the alleged corruption: “Yes, it is shocking in its scale and we are deeply concerned.” 
Jacobs said, “I think the justice system has to play out. I think everyone has a right to defend himself. Wait until this is determined by a court of law.” 
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, in a statement said, “No one is above the law, including the mayor of New York City. The charges are serious, and the legal process should now play out speedily and fairly.” 
New York's other senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, did not comment immediately. Nor did the leaders of the Assembly or State Senate. All of New York’s top elected leaders are Democrats. 
The Biden administration said it would not comment about an ongoing legal matter, even in response to Adams’ claim that he is being targeted by federal investigators because of his vocal opposition to the federal government's handling of the migrant crisis. 
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said since &quot;Day One&quot; that President Joe Biden has pledged that the U.S. Department of Justice would act independently from the White House. 
&quot;The DOJ is handling this case independently. I’m not going to go beyond that,&quot; Jean-Pierre said. 
Asked if Biden and Adams spoke on Wednesday night at an event in Manhattan, following Biden's two-day trip to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly, she said: &quot;The president did not see the mayor and they did not speak.&quot; 
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), who turned down an offer from Adams to serve as a deputy mayor in his administration in 2021, said in a written statement: &quot;It’s sad that yet another public official has been indicted.&quot; 
Suozzi added: “People are losing faith, but I am confident in our system of justice, and I know that by following our long-established process, that in the end justice will be served.&quot; 
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) called Thursday a “sober moment” but said Adams, like all defendants, is entitled to a presumption of innocence. 
“A jury of the mayor’s peers will now evaluate the charges in the indictment and ultimately render a determination,” Jeffries said. 
Others said the indictment itself is enough to prompt the mayor to step down. 
“A mayor under the weight of a serious indictment can no longer do that — and today, I am calling on him to resign,” said State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn), who plans to run in the 2025 mayoral election. 
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx/Queens), referencing the slew of resignations from the Adams administration prior to the indictment, said in a statement: “The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening government function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.” 
With Keshia Clukey, Laura Figueroa Hernandez and Tom Brune

stREAX240927

Hochul: Adams indictment 'shocking,' will review it; others call for mayor to resign

Adams indictment 'shocking,' Hochul says, while others want mayor to resign

New York Governor-Skin Cancer

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted Thursday after on federal charges that he allegedly took bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources.
The charges marked a stunning fall for Adams, a former police captain who made a commitment to law-and-order a cornerstone of his political platform even as multiple federal investigations tightened around him and members of his inner circle. 
Adams has consistently said he is cooperating with the investigations and has denied wrongdoing through the steady drumbeat of searches, seizures and departures of top members of his administration. 
But as news of the indictment spread Wednesday night, he began to mount a defiant defense that he was being targeted by the federal government for his political views, adopting language similar to former President Donald Trump and other politicians accused of crimes.
“I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Adams said in a videotaped speech released Wednesday night, adding that the case is “based on lies.”
<h2>From working-class childhood to police captain</h2>
Adams has often highlighted his working-class upbringing. He was one of six children raised by a single mother and has spoken of carrying around a garbage bag packed with his clothes because he feared his family would be evicted. 
At 15, he was beaten by police officers after being arrested for trespassing, but the bruising encounter sparked a desire to change the system from within, he said. Adams joined the New York City transit police in 1984 and eventually became a New York Police Department officer when the transit department merged into the larger NYPD. 
He rose to the rank of captain and was the co-founder of an advocacy group called 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, which sought criminal justice reform and denounced police brutality. 
He retired from the police department in 2006.
<h2>Making the transition into politics</h2>
Adams, a Democrat, then went on to win a seat in the state Senate representing a district in Brooklyn. From there, he was elected Brooklyn borough president in 2013 and held that post while launching a campaign for the mayor's office.
His run for mayor was marked with embarrassing headlines over whether he actually lived in New York City. It was reported that Adams would often sleep in his Brooklyn Borough Hall office because he co-owned an apartment in New Jersey. To quell speculation over his residence, Adams offered reporters a tour of a basement apartment in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn that he said was his primary residence.
His moderate mayoral campaign centered on his rise from a tough upbringing, through the police department and into politics. Though he would sometimes speak critically about the police department he once served in and talk about his experience with police brutality, Adams rejected progressive calls to “defund the police” and stressed that he was proud of his time in law enforcement. 
Adams was elected as mayor in 2021, becoming the second Black mayor of New York City after David Dinkins. Adams succeeded former Mayor Bill de Blasio. 
<h2>Facing challenges as mayor</h2>
He took office as the city was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, with its tourism industry, economy and school system facing major challenges as well as an overwhelming sense that crime in the city was at a high.
Through it all, Adams maintained a commitment to law enforcement and carried himself with a self-described “swag&quot; that featured flashy suits, earrings and walkout music for his news conferences. 
For a time, some political watchers saw Adams as the kind of moderate Democrat who could be a model for a party struggling to balance the divides between its progressive and centrist wings. But as the years went on, Adams' popularity took a sharp decline, even as the city bounced back from pandemic job losses and crime. 
He began to attract ridicule for his plan to crack down on rats — an eternal problem in New York City — while racking up health violations for rat infestations at his Brooklyn row house. 
His administration became bogged down with attempts to house tens of thousands of international migrants who overwhelmed the city's homeless shelters, with Adams at odds with President Joe Biden over funding and a strategy to handle the influx of new residents. He began to impose limits on shelter stays for the migrants and mounted a case against a unique rule that requires the city to house homeless people.
About a year ago, the federal investigations into the Adams administration first emerged, when FBI agents raided the home of his chief fundraiser. Days later, agents seized the mayor's phones and iPad as he was leaving an event in Manhattan. 
Earlier this month, federal investigators seized electronic devices from the city’s police commissioner, schools chancellor, deputy mayor of public safety, first deputy mayor and other trusted confidantes of Adams both in and out of City Hall. A wave of high-profile departures followed. 
On Thursday, Adams was indicted on charges that he took illegal campaign contributions and bribes from foreign nationals in exchange for favors that included helping Turkish officials get fire safety approvals for a new diplomatic building in the city.

Nation/World

AP-US-NYC-Mayor-Investigations-Biography

Who is Eric Adams? The New York City mayor faces charges alleging he took bribes

Janon Fisher and Matthew Chayes

Manhattan federal prosecutors on Thursday charged&nbsp;Mayor Eric Adams with five counts of bribery, wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution&nbsp;by&nbsp;a foreign national, alleging that as far back as 2016, when he was Brooklyn borough president, he began seeking gifts and campaign donations&nbsp;from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish official. 
Though word&nbsp;of the federal probe into&nbsp;Adams had leaked out nearly a year ago, the charges dealt&nbsp;what could be a fatal blow to an&nbsp;administration already staggering under the weight of at least three other investigations.&nbsp;Adams, 64, a Democrat, is the first mayor since the five boroughs were incorporated into New York City to be criminally charged while in office. 
A defiant Adams, speaking Thursday morning outside Gracie Mansion, denied&nbsp;the allegations, vowing&nbsp;to continue in his elected role and rebuking calls to step down. Flanked by supporters including his longtime mentor, the Rev.&nbsp;Herbert Daughtry, and New York State NAACP president Hazel Dukes, Adams fended off hecklers in the crowd. 
&quot;I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million people that I was elected to do,&quot; he said. &quot;And the 300,000-plus employees of our city government will continue to do their jobs.&quot; 
The 57-page indictment alleges&nbsp;a yearslong&nbsp;scheme by Adams and his staff to trade foreign&nbsp;campaign cash and travel gifts for favorable treatment&nbsp;by New York City's dense bureaucracy. 
When Adams threw his hat in the ring for the 2021 mayoral election, &quot;his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on&nbsp;their corrupt relationships with him,&quot; according to the federal indictment, unsealed Thursday morning. 
&quot;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,&quot; court papers say. 
 The mayor also hid more than&nbsp;$120,000 in free luxury travel benefits:&nbsp;deluxe suites in foreign hotels, upgrades to business class and expensive meals&nbsp;from Turkish businesspeople &nbsp;and the official, who expected favors from Adams in return, prosecutors charge. He flew on Turkish Airlines to France, China, Sri Lanka and other far-flung locales — trips&nbsp;paid for or heavily subsidized by foreign nationals, according to prosecutors.&nbsp;He would allegedly fly through Turkey, even when that route was indirect, so he could take the airline. 
Adams obscured the travel freebies by creating fake invoices and falsely reporting them as campaign expenses much lower than their actual value, according to the feds. 
The mayor sought to circumvent campaign finance laws on contribution limitations and the federal restriction on foreign governments or individuals donating to U.S. election campaigns by filtering the money through straw donors, according to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, whose office is prosecuting the case. 
In one instance, Adams returned the travel favors, prosecutors say, by pressuring the FDNY to open a&nbsp;36-story Turkish consulate in Manhattan after an inspection deemed it unsafe, to correspond with a visit from the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. FDNY officials believed they would lose their jobs if they did not comply, according to Williams. &nbsp; 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-onecms-id="contentid/115f52bf-12e0-4063-8641-dbef17200bca" data-onecms-type="storywidget" data-widget="smartembed" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/115f52bf-12e0-4063-8641-dbef17200bca', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/115f52bf-12e0-4063-8641-dbef17200bca">STORYWIDGET: Read the indictment against Eric Adams </a> 
Beginning in 2016, when he was the Brooklyn borough president, federal authorities said Adams solicited illegal campaign funds from Turkish businesses and laundered them through straw donors. As a candidate for mayor, he opted into a city program that provided matching funds —&nbsp;$8 of public money for each $1 of private donation —&nbsp;despite the fact that the program prohibited foreign contributions and straw donors, according to court papers. 
&quot;Mayor Adams took these contributions even though he knew they were illegal, and even though he knew these contributions were attempts by a Turkish government official and Turkish businessmen to buy influence with him;&nbsp;we also allege that the mayor sought and accepted well over $100,000 in luxury travel benefits from some of the same foreign actors who arranged many of the illegal campaign contributions,&quot; Williams said at a morning news conference. 
Long Island lawyer Tim Sini, who is representing Turkish Airlines, said his client is cooperating with investigators. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-onecms-id="contentid/8e9bc6d2-c517-48c1-92c4-561ddea5a6fb" data-onecms-type="storywidget" data-widget="smartembed" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/8e9bc6d2-c517-48c1-92c4-561ddea5a6fb', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/8e9bc6d2-c517-48c1-92c4-561ddea5a6fb">STORYWIDGET: NYMAYOR240927_travelbenefits</a> 
&quot;Turkish Airlines has been complying with law enforcement’s requests for information, and at no point has been accused of any wrongdoing by the government,&quot; said Sini, the former Suffolk district attorney. 
The indictment is a stunning turn for an ex-cop elected New York City mayor on a law-and-order platform, but whose mayoralty has been dogged by investigations into cronyism, graft and bribery to enrich his friends and himself. 
Adams asked New Yorkers to hear his legal defense before rushing to judgment. 
&quot;From here my attorneys will take care of the case so I can take care of the city,&quot; he said. 
Adams is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at noon in front of Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker. His attorney, Alex Spiro, subsequently sent a letter to the court asking for the arraignment to be postponed until Monday or Tuesday. 
<h2>Trips to France, Turkey and more</h2> 
Prosecutors charge the graft began in&nbsp;October 2016 when&nbsp;the mayor and his girlfriend bought tickets to Istanbul for $2,286, and through his illicit beneficiaries, who were not named in the court papers, he was upgraded to business class at a $15,000 value. 
In July and August 2017, Adams, a relative and his liaison with the Asian American community allegedly traveled for free to Nice, France;&nbsp;Istanbul; Colombo, Sri Lanka; and Beijing — trips that were valued at $35,000.&nbsp;During his stop in Istanbul, a Turkish businessperson and eventual illegal campaign contributor put Adams up in the luxury Bentley Suite in the city’s St. Regis Hotel, which she owned, prosecutors said. Adams paid&nbsp;$600 for the two-night stay that would cost anyone else $7,000, the indictment said. That October, he jetted to Nepal via Istanbul and Beijing, then back to New York for free, prosecutors said, estimating&nbsp;the cost of those tickets to be about $16,000. 
None of the alleged trips or the hotel stay showed up on Adams's mandatory financial disclosure forms to the city, which requires reporting gifts of $1,000 or more. 
Prosecutors said&nbsp;Adams sometimes used a low-level employee in the Brooklyn borough president’s office to pay his expenses and then reimbursed the person in cash as a way to hide his paper trail. 
In 2021, as the campaign for mayor heated up, Adams told an associate how important fundraising was to his victory in the election, according to prosecutors. &quot;You win the race by raising money ... Have to raise money,&quot; according to an Adams text provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. &quot;Everything else is fluff.&quot; 
Prosecutors said&nbsp; the scheme to raise and hide foreign campaign donations continued into the fall of 2023, when the federal investigation became public. Federal investigators said&nbsp; after Adams and his&nbsp;coconspirators became aware of the probe&nbsp;they tried to cover it up, deleting messages and private phone apps. Adams&nbsp;reset his password for his personal phone after FBI agents subpoenaed it, prosecutors said, and told them he forgot the new password. 
<h2>Challengers pounce on&nbsp;news of indictment</h2> 
Federal agents Thursday morning again seized a cellphone belonging to Adams from Gracie Mansion, the mayoral residence&nbsp;in Manhattan.&nbsp; 
Adams' challengers in the mayoral race, which is next year, pounced on the news and called for him to resign. Adams, who was elected in 2021, is running for reelection. 
&quot;Eric Adams is indicted. There is simply zero chance that the wheels of government will move forward from this full steam ahead. Instead, we are left with a broken down train wreck of a municipal government,&quot; said a statement from Scott Stringer, the former city comptroller, who is eyeing a run for mayor. 
Zellnor Myrie, a state senator who's looking to unseat Adams, said in a statement: &quot;This is a sad day for the city, and especially painful for so many Black New Yorkers who put our hope and faith in this Mayor.&quot; 
The city's public advocate, Jumaane Williams — who would become mayor if Adams were to vacate the job&nbsp;— said in a statement that he feels &quot;the same disbelief and indignation that I know many New Yorkers feel, upset that this is where our city is in this moment.&quot; 
&quot;This is a painful time, and the looming unknowns and uncertainties only add to the confusion and chaos at City Hall in an untenable situation. Justice presumes innocence until proven guilty, at the same time, these charges are even more sweeping and severe than imagined. In the face of this evidence, it is not enough to deflect blame and deny responsibility,&quot; he said. 
The governor has the power to remove a mayor, per the New York City charter. Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters that it would be &quot;irresponsible&quot; of her to indicate any action she might take. 
She put out a statement Thursday night saying:&nbsp;&quot;My focus is on protecting the people of New York and ensuring stability in the City. While I 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.&quot; 
The city charter also establishes an Inability Committee — a group of appointed and elected officials, some appointed by Adams&nbsp;— that can kick a mayor out. 
Investigations of Adams dramatically escalated last year, when his electronic devices were seized by the FBI. 
During the summer, the U.S. Attorney's Office issued subpoenas to City Hall, Adams' campaign and Adams himself, reportedly seeking information about Adams' schedule, his travel abroad and links to the Turkish government. 
And earlier this month, federal agents seized electronic devices from several top aides to Adams, including his schools chancellor, then-police commissioner, senior adviser, first deputy and a deputy for public safety. 
Within days, the police commissioner, Edward Caban, resigned. There is reportedly an investigation into Caban and his twin brother, who is also a former cop, revolving around a potential protection racket focused on bars and nightclubs. 
On Tuesday, the schools chancellor, David Banks, announced he would step down by the end of 2024. 
That resignation came less than two weeks after the mayor's chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, a staunch defender of Adams at news conferences, quit her role. She wrote in a resignation letter: &quot;I can no longer effectively serve in my position.&quot; 
Earlier this week, at a news conference without Zornberg, or any replacement for her, Adams said he would not be resigning. 
&quot;I’m stepping up,&quot; Adams said, &quot;not stepping down.&quot; 
With Vera Chinese, Yancey Roy and&nbsp;Anthony M. DeStefano

nyADAMS240927

Read the indictment against Eric Adams

New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicted on charges that he accepted bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources

NYC mayor indicted on bribery, illegal campaign contribution charges

On Thursday,&nbsp;Manhattan federal prosecutors hit Mayor Eric Adams with five counts of bribery, wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution from a foreign national.

nyADAMS240927_video

Mayor Eric Adams indicted on charges of bribery, potentially illegal straw donations

'I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers'

nyADAMS240927_photos

Newsday Staff

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal charges&nbsp;– the first sitting mayor of New York to face criminal charges while in office. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-onecms-id="contentid/115f52bf-12e0-4063-8641-dbef17200bca" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/115f52bf-12e0-4063-8641-dbef17200bca', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/115f52bf-12e0-4063-8641-dbef17200bca">STORYWIDGET: Read the indictment against Eric Adams </a>

NYREAD240927

New York City Mayor Eric Adams indictment unsealed

Read the indictment against Adams

Federal agents Thursday morning again seized a cell phone belonging to Mayor Eric Adams, a development that came after news that he had been indicted on corruption allegations. 
The latest seizure was early in the morning in Manhattan at Gracie Mansion. 
The indictment is a stunning turn for an ex-cop elected New York City mayor on a law-and-order platform, but whose mayoralty has been dogged by investigations into cronyism, graft and bribery to enrich his friends and himself. 
The specifics of the charge or charges, contained&nbsp;in a federal indictment, remained sealed Wednesday night, according to the sources, who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. 
The indictment was expected to be made public later Thursday. 
Adams, a Democrat, is the first mayor since the five boroughs were incorporated into New York City to be criminally charged while in office. Soon after news of the indictment broke, Adams assailed the investigation and the torrent of leaks about it, declaring,&nbsp;&quot;enough.&quot; 
&quot;It is now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes,&quot; Adams said in the video.&nbsp;&quot;If so, these charges would be entirely false, based on lies. But they would not be surprising. I always knew that if I stood my ground, for all of you, that I would be a target, and a target I became.&quot; 
Deputy for communications Fabien Levy said that Adams, the city's second Black mayor,&nbsp;had not been informed of the indictment as of 10:10 p.m. on Wednesday.&nbsp; 
The investigations into Adams and his circle have reportedly focused on potentially illegal straw donations, contributions from the Turkish&nbsp;government and potentially others, flight upgrades for Adams to the highest class of seats aboard&nbsp;Turkish&nbsp;Airlines, and&nbsp;municipal contracts given to his friends, as well as other potential wrongdoing. 
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, which has been conducting most of the investigations,&nbsp;declined to comment.&nbsp; 
A lawyer who is representing a witness in the campaign contribution aspect of the investigation, but did not want to be identified, said the focus of one part of the probe involves potential federal charges of conspiracy, bribery and money laundering. This is based on documents the lawyer said he saw. 
The lawyer said the investigation was focused on whether straw donors were used to raise funds for Adams’ election. Under such practices, donors would be secretly reimbursed by others for their political contributions. 
Adams' challengers in the mayoral race, which is next year, pounced on the news and called for him to resign. Adams, who was elected in 2021, is running for reelection. 
&quot;Eric Adams is indicted. There is simply zero chance that the wheels of government will move forward from this full steam ahead. Instead, we are left with a broken down trainwreck of a municipal government,&quot; said a statement from Scott Stringer, the former city comptroller, who is eyeing a run for mayor. 
Another challenger, Brad Lander, the current city comptroller, said in a statement: &quot;Trust in public institutions — especially City Hall — is essential for our local democracy to function and for our city to flourish. The hardworking people of New York City deserve a city government and leadership they can trust. Right now, they don’t have it.&quot; 
And&nbsp;Zellnor Myrie, a state senator who's&nbsp;looking to unseat Adams, said in a statement:&nbsp;&quot;This is a sad day for the city, and especially painful for so many Black New Yorkers who put our hope and faith in this Mayor.&quot; 
If Adams&nbsp;does resign, the city's public advocate, Jumaane Williams, would become mayor. Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office. There would be a special election. 
Avi Small, Hochul's press secretary, did not immediately respond to an email asking whether she'd remove Adams. 
Investigations into Adams dramatically escalated last year, when his electronic&nbsp;devices were seized by the FBI. 
During the summer, the U.S. attorney's office issued subpoenas to City Hall, Adams' campaign and Adams himself, reportedly seeking information about Adams' schedule, his travel abroad and links to the Turkish government. 
And earlier this month, federal agents seized electronic devices from several top aides to Adams, including his schools chancellor, police commissioner, senior adviser, first deputy and a deputy for public safety. 
Within days, the police commissioner,&nbsp;Edward Caban, resigned.&nbsp;There is reportedly an investigation into Caban and his twin brother, who is also a former cop, revolving around a&nbsp;potential protection racket focused on bars and nightclubs.&nbsp; 
On Tuesday, the schools chancellor, David Banks, announced&nbsp;he would step down by the end of 2024. 
That resignation came less than two weeks after the mayor's chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, a staunch defender of Adams at press conferences,&nbsp;quit her role. She&nbsp;wrote&nbsp;in a resignation letter:&nbsp;&quot;I can no longer effectively serve in my position.&quot; 
Earlier this week, at a news conference without Zornberg, or any replacement for her,&nbsp;Adams said he would not be resigning. 
&quot;I’m stepping up,&quot; Adams said, &quot;not stepping down.&quot; 
With Janon Fisher, Anthony M. DeStefano and AP

nyADAMS240926

New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicted on federal charges, sources say

FBI seizes NYC mayor's phone ahead of expected unsealing of indictment

nyadams240918

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on federal charges&nbsp;according to two people familiar with the matter.

nyADAMS240926_video

Sources: NYC Mayor Eric Adams indicted on federal charges

Adams: 'These charges would be entirely false'

NYC Mayor-Investigations-What We Know

New York City's next schools chancellor will be Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday&nbsp;in replacing David Banks, who is&nbsp;stepping down from his post as the administration faces multiple federal corruption investigations. 
Aviles-Ramos, currently a deputy chancellor in the school&nbsp;system,&nbsp;will take over after Banks leaves at the end of 2024. Her first day is Jan. 1. 
The appointment came hours before news broke that Adams had been indicted. For over a year, there have federal corruption investigations of Adams and his circle, including Banks and his brothers. 
&quot;No matter what happens in our city, our children still must be educated, and they must be prepared for the future. And Melissa brings that. Just a girl from the block. You know, a Bronx leader, and just a symbol, a symbol, of what good things can come out of not only public school, but comes out of the Bronx,&quot; Adams said&nbsp;earlier Wednesday. 
The specifics of the charges in the federal indictment against Adams remained sealed Wednesday night, according to the sources, who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. 
As deputy chancellor, Aviles-Ramos, 42, oversees family and community engagement and external affairs. She joined the school system in 2007 as an English teacher, then became an assistant principal, principal, deputy superintendent, acting superintendent and education administrator, according to a biography distributed by Adams' press office. 
&quot;I want you to know, I want you to see me as a symbol of stability of commitments,&quot; she said on Wednesday, adding: &quot;I am here to tell you that my charge is to make sure we carry through on all the bright stars and bold futures.&quot; 
Banks' departure announcement Tuesday marked the latest exit from the Adams administration, which is under at least four federal investigations that have led to subpoenas, raids, warrants and&nbsp;seizures of the electronic devices&nbsp;belonging to various people in Adams' circle. In the last few weeks, Adams' <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nypd-commissioner-edward-caban-federal-probe-yy6nga7j">police commissioner</a>, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nyc-adams-mayor-new-york-city-y7n55lci">chief counsel</a> and health commissioner have all announced resignations. 
The investigation involving David Banks is <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/09/13/philip-banks-saferwatch-schools-eric-adams/">reportedly scrutinizing</a> how a Florida company hired one of his brothers to influence him and another brother, Deputy Mayor Phil Banks, to get a panic button app deployed in the public schools. 
In a valedictory address on Wednesday, Banks, 62, took aim at media coverage of the investigations. 
&quot;Folks can write whatever the hell they wanna write,&quot; Banks said before embracing his girlfriend, Sheena Wright,&nbsp;Adams' first deputy mayor. Her electronic devices, along with Banks', were seized in an early&nbsp;morning raid by the FBI earlier this month. 
He added:&nbsp;&quot;I know my truth&quot; and&nbsp;&quot;God is not finished with me yet.&quot; 
Banks has said that he is retiring after four decades as a teacher, assistant principal and&nbsp;school founder, among other posts in the education field.&nbsp;His tenure has been marked by a focus on student careers and revamping how reading is taught. 
&quot;After 40 years, I'm tired. And that's the God's honest truth,&quot; Banks said. 
With nearly 1 million students, the city's public school system&nbsp;has long been the nation's largest. 
Management of the K-12 public schools in New York City is centralized, unlike on Long Island, which has 124 independent districts,&nbsp;with an average of roughly 3,400 students each. 
With AP

nySCHOOLS240926

Melissa Aviles-Ramos will be next NYC schools chancellor, Mayor Eric Adams says

New NYC schools chancellor named amid City Hall chaos

nySCHOOLS240926_photos

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday he's &quot;comfortable&quot; with the NYPD's interim police commissioner, Tom Donlon, whose homes were <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/raids-nypd-commission-thomas-donlon-pn404e01" target="_blank">raided</a> late last week by federal agents seeking documents in his possession. 
Speaking at City Hall, Adams described the raid, a result of search warrants, as &quot;a private matter that he was dealing with.&quot; 
&quot;It had nothing to do with his role as the police commissioner,&quot; said Adams, who, along with members of his inner circle, administration&nbsp;and political campaign, has&nbsp;been the subject&nbsp;of seizures by federal authorities conducting criminal investigations. Adams' own electronic devices were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/10/nyregion/adams-fbi-investigation-phones.html" target="_blank">seized</a> last year. 
Donlon, a former FBI agent, state homeland security official and principal at a private security firm, was appointed Sept. 12 to be interim NYPD commissioner, following the abrupt <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nypd-commissioner-edward-caban-federal-probe-yy6nga7j" target="_blank">resignation</a> of Edward Caban, whose own home was raided by federal authorities reportedly investigating an illegal protection&nbsp;racket for bars and nightclubs. 
The Donlon raids were disclosed Saturday evening by the NYPD's press office, which issued a statement on the police commissioner's behalf that what was seized are &quot;materials that came into my&nbsp;possession approximately 20 years ago and are unrelated to my work with the New York City Police Department.&quot; 
The nature of the material&nbsp;hasn't&nbsp;been disclosed. 
Separately, the schools chancellor, David Banks, said Tuesday afternoon <a href="https://www.newsday.com/new-york-city-schools-chancellor-david-banks-stepping-down-r6x7hpsw" target="_blank">he'll step down</a> at the end of 2024. 
Banks, whose home the FBI raided earlier this month, is one of at least a dozen people connected to Adams to be served with subpoenas, had warrants issued at their homes or had phones seized in a hydra-headed corruption investigation. Two of Banks' brothers — Phil, a deputy mayor for public safety, and Terence, who runs a government consulting firm — are among those who have been subject to federal investigative actions. 
No one's&nbsp;been charged with wrongdoing. 
David Banks was appointed in 2022 to lead the city school system, the nation's largest, with nearly 1 million pupils. 
Earlier this week, the city health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, announced his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/nyregion/vasan-health-commissioner-resigns.html" target="_blank">resignation</a>, and earlier this month, Adams' chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nyc-adams-mayor-new-york-city-y7n55lci\">quit</a> abruptly on a Saturday night,&nbsp;&quot;as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position.&quot;&nbsp; 
Zach Iscol, the emergency management commissioner, was considering resigning but announced earlier this week that he is staying. 
Asked about all the tumult — investigations and resignations, including of Caban, the city's first Hispanic police commissioner — and how constituencies such as Hispanic New Yorkers might react, Adams said: &quot;I would tell them, this is our city, mi casa, su casa, and we gonna be all right.&quot; 
Adams said he had no plans to resign. 
&quot;I'm stepping up, not stepping down,&quot; he said. &quot;I have a city to run.&quot; 
Regarding the Donlon raids, Adams referred inquiries to the FBI and local U.S. Attorney's Office, neither of which has commented. Adams didn't disclose details about his conversation with Donlon, whom he called &quot;a great New Yorker.&quot; 
&quot;Our federal authorities must work closely with the New York City Police Department. We're dealing with terrorism. We're dealing with dangerous gangs that come across our borders. We're dealing with immigration issues,&quot; Adams said, &quot;So it's important to do so.&quot; 
Hours before news broke of David Banks' resignation, Adams told reporters at the&nbsp;news conference that &quot;employees and staffers come and go, they come and go. Very few remain throughout an entire term.&quot; 
&quot;Working in government is hard, folks,&quot; Adams said. &quot;It's hard, when you work in government, but you give your heart and you walk away feeling as though you accomplished something.&quot;

nyADAMS240925

Mayor Adams says raid on NYPD interim commissioner's homes was 'private matter'

Adams says he is 'comfortable' with interim NYPD commissioner despite federal raid

nyADAMS240925_photos

NEW YORK — Nearly a year after FBI agents seized his phones, New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces an expanding constellation of federal inquiries involving his administration.
In recent weeks, the investigations have produced a drumbeat of subpoenas, raids and whiplash-inducing developments for the first-term Democrat. Federal investigators have visited more than a dozen members of his administration, taking devices from the police commissioner (who then resigned), the head of the public schools and other trusted confidantes both in and out of City Hall.
At least one high-ranking mayoral aide received a subpoena to testify before a grand jury.
Federal prosecutors have declined to discuss the investigations but people familiar with elements of the cases have described multiple, separate inquiries involving senior Adams aides, relatives of those aides, campaign fundraising and possible influence peddling at the police and fire departments.
Adams, a former police captain, has not been accused of wrongdoing and adamantly denies any knowledge of criminal activity. 
Below, a look at what we know about the investigations: 
<h2>A nightlife company run by the top cop's twin</h2>
On the morning of Sept. 4, as federal agents fanned out across New York City to seize devices from some of the mayor's closest advisors, they also traveled to Rockland County, roughly an hour north of the city. There, they visited the home of then-NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, as well as the nearby residence of his twin brother, James Caban. Devices were taken from both homes.
James Caban used to be a cop, too, but he was fired by the NYPD in 2001 after he was heard on a recording threatening a cab driver. More recently, he has run a nightlife consulting business.
After the searches came to light, a Brooklyn juice bar owner publicly accused a mayoral aide, Ray Martin, of trying to extort him by claiming he would receive better police treatment if he hired James Caban as a consultant. As part of the investigation, police seized phones from several precinct-level NYPD officials.
A week after the searches, Caban announced his resignation, telling officers that he didn’t want the investigations “to create a distraction.” The same day, Martin was fired from his job at City Hall.
James Caban “unequivocally denies any wrongdoing,” his lawyer, Sean Hecker, said in a statement. An email sent to Martin was not returned. A lawyer for Edward Caban didn't respond to phone and email messages.
<h2>The Banks brothers and a consulting firm</h2>
After taking office in 2022, Adams turned to a pair of brothers to help oversee two of the city's most important institutions, the public schools and the police department. He made Philip Banks, formerly a top NYPD chief, his deputy mayor for public safety. He made David Banks, who had run a network of boys' schools, the schools chancellor.
The same day they appeared at the homes of the Caban brothers, federal investigators seized devices from Philip and David Banks, as well as from First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, who is David Banks’ domestic partner.
Agents also took a phone from the Banks' youngest brother, Terence Banks.
Formerly a mid-level supervisor in New York City's subway system, Terence Banks launched a consulting firm that promised to connect businesses to key government stakeholders. The firm represented companies seeking work with city agencies, including the education and police departments.
According to public records, some of those companies received millions of dollars in city contracts — and in one case got a personal meeting with the schools chancellor — after hiring Terrence Banks.
Both David and Terence Banks have said they do not believe they are targets of the investigation. An attorney for Philip Banks, Benjamin Brafman, has told reporters he believes his client has “zero criminal liability.”
David Banks and Philip Banks remain in their positions. Adams has defended them, noting that his relationship with the family goes back to his time serving under their father in the police department.
<h2>An adviser with control over contracts</h2>
An influential figure with little public presence, Tim Pearson is one of the mayor’s most trusted advisers. Even as he faced several lawsuits accusing him of sexual harassment and a city investigation over his role in a brawl at a migrant shelter, Pearson has retained the backing of the mayor, who he served with decades ago in the police department.
Pearson’s electronic devices were also seized by federal authorities earlier this month. It’s not clear what aspect of his work might be under scrutiny. Among the wide-ranging responsibilities, Pearson played a significant role in approving contracts for the city’s migrant shelters.
This past Friday, the city director of Asylum Seeker Operations, Molly Schaeffer, who worked closely with Pearson, received a subpoena to testify in front of a grand jury. Unlike other aides, her devices were not seized by federal agents.
Jennifer Beidel, a former assistant U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, said a subpoena to testify typically means an investigation has progressed to the point where prosecutors are providing the grand jury with evidence they would need to decide whether to indict someone.
An attorney representing Pearson in the civil lawsuits did not respond to a request for comment. Pearson has not spoken publicly since the searches.
<h2>A mayor under a microscope</h2>
The first sign that federal authorities were investigating people close to Adams came early last November, when agents searched the home of one of his top fundraisers, Brianna Suggs.
Then, on Nov. 6, FBI agents stopped Adams himself as he left an event in Manhattan and seized his cellphones and iPad. 
Agents also searched the home of Adams' liaison to the Turkish community in New York and a former Turkish airline executive. 
As part of that inquiry, federal prosecutors have sought information about a time period when Adams was still Brooklyn borough president, but had won the Democratic primary and was widely expected to be elected mayor in the fall. During that period, Turkish officials were trying to get the city to expedite Fire Department approval of a new diplomatic building that were being held up because of safety concerns.
Over the summer, federal prosecutors subpoenaed Adams, his campaign arm and City Hall, requesting information about the mayor’s schedule, his overseas travel and potential connections to the Turkish government.
Adams has denied any wrongdoing. Private attorneys for the mayor said they had turned over “extensive evidence undermining the reported theories of federal prosecution as to the mayor.”
<h2>Other inquiries</h2>
Federal prosecutors are also investigating Winnie Greco, the city’s director of Asian Affairs and a longtime Adams ally. Unlike the rest of the probes, that inquiry is being led by Brooklyn federal prosecutors.
Additionally, federal prosecutors last week subpoenaed a Brooklyn church, seeking information about possible dealings between a priest and Frank Carone, the former chief of staff to Adams who now runs his own lobbying firm.
Greco hasn’t commented publicly on the FBI searches of her properties and continues to work for the city. Carone has told journalists he isn’t aware of any criminal investigation linked to him.
Two high-ranking fire chiefs were arrested on charges that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from people seeking preferential treatment from the Fire Department's safety inspection bureau. Both have pleaded not guilty. 
And on Friday, federal authorities searched the homes of New York City’s newly named interim police commissioner, Thomas Donlan, and seized materials unrelated to his police work. Donlon confirmed the search and said it involved materials that had been in his possession for 20 years.
He did not address what the investigation was about, but a person familiar with the investigation said it had to do with classified documents dating from the years when Donlon worked for the FBI. The person spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about that investigation.

BC-US--NYC Mayor Investigation-What We Know, 1st Ld-Writethru

What we know about the investigations surrounding New York City's mayor

Federal agents have executed search warrants at the interim NYPD commissioner’s homes — a week after an FBI raid of his predecessor’s home triggered his abrupt resignation. 
The latest raids — at&nbsp;interim Commissioner Thomas Donlon's homes — were&nbsp;disclosed just before midnight&nbsp;Saturday by the NYPD press office, which said in a statement the raids had been conducted a day earlier. 
“On Friday, September 20, federal authorities executed search warrants at my residences. &nbsp;They took materials that came into my possession approximately 20 years ago and are unrelated to my work with the New York City Police Department,” the statement said. “This is not a department matter, and the department will not be commenting.” 
No other details were provided,&nbsp;and it wasn't disclosed which federal agency conducted the raids. 
Donlon is a former FBI agent, state homeland security official and principal&nbsp;at a private security firm. 
Earlier this month, the FBI raided and seized electronic devices from Donlon’s predecessor, Edward Caban, and several current and former NYPD officials, in an investigation reportedly about a possible racket involving police protection of city nightlife. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nypd-commissioner-edward-caban-federal-probe-yy6nga7j">Caban resigned within days</a>, reportedly under pressure from Mayor Eric Adams. <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nypd-interim-commissioner-donlon-bb1qgf2s">Donlon's appointment</a> was unveiled concurrent with the resignation announcement by Caban. 
Since last year, there have been raids, warrants, subpoenas or seizures involving people in Adams’ orbit, including Adams himself, whose electronic devices were seized by FBI agents who&nbsp;stopped his entourage and&nbsp;told his NYPD bodyguards to step aside so the seizure could be done. 
Others at whom the action&nbsp;by the feds has been directed include&nbsp;a deputy mayor for public safety,&nbsp;a senior adviser, the first deputy mayor, the schools chancellor, liaisons to the Asian and international communities, the chief fundraiser and donors allegedly involved in straw donations, which are illegal, and several siblings of administration officials.&nbsp; 
No one has been charged with a crime.&nbsp; 
What the feds are scrutinizing hasn't been officially disclosed&nbsp;but reportedly spans at least four&nbsp;investigations, including into whether anyone connected to the Adams team took illegal donations from the Turkish government in exchange for favors.&nbsp; 
The raids at Donlon's homes were conducted Friday, the same day he&nbsp;appeared alongside federal law enforcement counterparts at a news conference outside the United Nations to discuss <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/united-nations-general-assembly-security-rr89u4sh" target="_blank">security precautions</a> for this&nbsp;week's General Assembly.&nbsp; 
Asked at that news conference whether anyone in the NYPD, or their supervisors, is&nbsp;being denied sensitive information due to looming federal investigations, Kaz Daughtry, the NYPD's deputy commissioner of operations said, &quot;the answer is 'no.'&quot; 
&quot;We're not being restricted from any information at all,&quot; Daughtry told Newsday. &quot;The executives that you see here are getting intel briefs, and if you have the top-level security clearance, or the secret clearance, you will get briefed.&quot; 
Pressed further, a press spokesman interrupted and ended the questioning: &quot;We're not doing back and forths.&quot; 
On Sept. 12, when Donlon&nbsp;was appointed, a statement issued by the NYPD for Donlon said he aimed to “uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency, and support our dedicated officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.” 
Fabien Levy, Adams’ top spokesman, wrote in a text message Sunday morning: “As we have repeatedly said, we expect all team members to fully comply with any law enforcement inquiry.”

nyNYPD240923

Interim NYPD Commissioner Thomas Donlon's homes searched by federal agents

Federal agents search interim NYPD Commissioner Thomas Donlon's homes

UN General Assembly Security

Into the&nbsp;City Hall Blue Room Eric Adams strode Tuesday to his regular <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8h3QJRcNts" target="_blank">walkout&nbsp;music</a>, then warned that he was done answering more questions about the cascading corruption scandals engulfing his mayoralty.&nbsp;Everyday New Yorkers,&nbsp;Adams told reporters at his weekly news conference,&nbsp;don’t ask him about those topics, and the mayor has a city to run. 
But for more than an hour, he was hit with questions from reporters drilling him on the scandals he had said he wouldn't address anymore. He answered some questions, defending himself and&nbsp;his aides, and dodged other questions. 
&quot;I know how important it is to follow the law. That’s what I do,&quot; Adams said, seated in the Blue Room beneath&nbsp;a painting of Alexander Hamilton. &quot;If I had someone around me that I believed violated their oath of office, they would not be in my office.&quot; 
For almost a year, there have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/09/05/fbi-raids-homes-of-two-top-eric-adams-aides/" target="_blank">periodic</a> <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/02/29/winnie-greco-fbi-raid/" target="_blank">FBI raids</a> <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/05/20/rana-abbasova-adams-aide-whose-home-was-raided-is-cooperating-with-feds-campaign-finance-probe/" target="_blank">on his inner circle</a> <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/22/eric-adams-donors-turkey-00133004" target="_blank">and donors</a>; last week, there were the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nyc-adams-mayor-new-york-city-y7n55lci" target="_blank">sudden resignations of his top lawyer and police commissioner</a>; and then there is Adams’ ongoing defense of close-friends-turned-top-aides. One senior staffer, Tim Pearson, has been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/30/nyregion/nypd-pearson-adams-lawsuit.html" target="_blank">sued</a>&nbsp;four times, in litigation alleging&nbsp;sexual harassment, by multiple subordinates.&nbsp;The public's&nbsp;funding of his defense&nbsp;has been controversial. 
Federal authorities&nbsp;are also reportedly investigating Pearson&nbsp;— and several other of the mayor's aides — on allegations of self-dealing, monetizing their city posts and other forms of corruption. 
Adams, his inner circle and political campaign are under at least four federal probes, which have included <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-subpoena-ao7lztmr" target="_blank">subpoenas</a> of City Hall, searches of aides’ homes and the seizure of electronic devices, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-mayor-eric-adams-fbi-investigation-0349a188b77baf822748fedf18b7ea4f" target="_blank">including the mayor’s own</a>. (&quot;Ten months ago, my phones were taken,&quot; Adams said Tuesday.) 
No one has been accused of a crime. 
Adams vowed that the investigations won't distract him and his administration. 
&quot;What I’m saying to you about everyday New Yorkers, they want to know, 'Eric, what are you doing about the safety of my city, my schools, my housing, my employment,'&quot; he said. &quot;That is at the top of my agenda.&quot; 
Adams has long defended his close friends whom he’s hired for top posts, such as Pearson, a senior staffer with an&nbsp;ambiguous&nbsp;portfolio that includes contracting, who has also had his phone seized by the FBI. 
Pearson is an ex-NYPD officer&nbsp;and Adams confidant who at one point was simultaneously <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/08/12/eric-adams-casino-pal-timothy-pearson-is-triple-dipping-taxpayers/" target="_blank">triple-dipping</a> with a private job as a casino executive in Queens, a post in the administration&nbsp;and a police pension. He <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/14/nyregion/adams-pearson-casino.html" target="_blank">quit</a> the casino job after his employment there went public.&nbsp;In addition to being sued for sexual harassment, he was also seen on a video allegedly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/11/nyregion/timothy-pearson-guards-migrants.html" target="_blank">beating up</a>&nbsp;migrant shelter security guards, having them arrested and threatening them. (&quot;There are lawsuits leveled against people often,&quot; Adams said.) 
Lisa Zornberg, the top lawyer who quit Saturday, reportedly&nbsp;decided to resign after Adams rebuffed her advice to fire Pearson and others under investigation for wrongdoing. Adams declined to confirm that Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor, had <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/09/16/mayor-adams-chief-counsel-lisa-zornberg-resign-advice-fire-officials-federal-corruption-investigation/" target="_blank">sought</a> the ousters, saying the conversation was private. 
Adams has also defended Phil Banks, another close friend and current deputy mayor for public safety, whose brothers — the school chancellor, David,&nbsp;and Terence,&nbsp;who has a consulting firm — had their phones seized by the FBI.&nbsp; 
Phil Banks oversees the police department, whose commissioner, Edward Caban, resigned last week under pressure from City Hall after his phones were also seized by the FBI in an investigation that is also probing Caban's twin brother, James.&nbsp;That brother&nbsp;was fired years ago from the NYPD and served jail time. The FBI is also reportedly looking into whether the brother&nbsp;took money from bars and nightclubs in exchange for special treatment from the NYPD.

nyADAMS240918

Mayor Eric Adams, grilled about federal probes of his administration, says he 'follows the law' 

Adams, saying he 'follows the law,' defends his administration, deflects questions about federal probes

nyADAMS240918_photos

Lisa Zornberg, Mayor Eric Adams' chief City Hall counsel, abruptly resigned Saturday night, marking the immediate departure of his most vocal legal defender as he and his associates face multiple criminal investigations. 
Her resignation letter said in its entirety: &quot;It has been a great honor to serve the City. I am tendering my resignation, effective today, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position. I wish you nothing but the best.&quot; 
The announcement was made hours before midnight in a pair of prepared statements issued by Adams' press office. 
&quot;We appreciate all the work Lisa has done for our administration and, more importantly, the city over the past 13 months. These are hard jobs and we don’t expect anyone to stay in them forever,&quot; according to a statement attributed to Adams that said a replacement would be appointed in the coming days. 
Zornberg's statement to the media said: &quot;I am deeply grateful to Mayor Adams for giving me the opportunity to serve the city, and I strongly support the work he has done and continues to do for New Yorkers.&quot; 
Zornberg has been a stalwart defender of Adams, even as he has been buffeted by investigations. 
She appeared at Adams' virtual side as recently as Tuesday to defend him, days after the FBI raided homes of several of his top aides, seizing their electronic devices. Last year, FBI agents seized Adams' devices, and it was Zornberg who was the lead City Hall official defending him. 
Zornberg has frequently jumped in to stop Adams from answering questions from the media. She did so at Tuesday's news conference, held virtually because of what Adams said was a bout of COVID-19. Asked about the administration's refusal to comment on how many officials have been involved in the federal investigation or how many had their electronic devices seized, Zornberg declined to provide answers. 
No one in Adams' circle has been charged with a crime. On Thursday, his police commissioner, Edward Caban, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nypd-commissioner-edward-caban-federal-probe-yy6nga7j">resigned following&nbsp;FBI raids</a>&nbsp;that led to the seizure of his phones, his twin brother's phone and phones belonging to others in the NYPD. 
In her capacity as chief counsel to Adams, Zornberg oversaw 10 city agencies or commissions, including on labor relations, human rights, contract services, disabilities, administrative trials and hearings, and business integrity. 
Her predecessor at City Hall, Brendan McGuire, left the post to return to private practice, where one of his clients is Adams. 
At a news conference last year announcing Zornberg's appointment, Adams said it’s important to employ a former prosecutor to address conduct &quot;way before people go across the line.&quot; 
&quot;You shouldn't wait until someone crossed the line that they can come in and give us the advice on proper practices, proper procedures, how to do things correctly,&quot; Adams said then.

nyMAYOR240916

New York City Mayor Eric Adams' chief counsel quits amid criminal investigations

NYC Mayor Adams' chief counsel quits amid criminal investigations

NYC Mayor FBI Investigation

Former FBI agent Thomas G. Donlon&nbsp;was sworn in late Friday as interim NYPD commissioner, just minutes after the resignation of his predecessor, Edward Caban, took effect,&nbsp;amid a federal investigation&nbsp;that&nbsp;has&nbsp;enveloped City Hall and the police department. 
Donlon, whose tenure in the FBI included involvement in major counterterrorism cases, took the oath of office from Chief of Personnel John Benoit in a brief ceremony at police headquarters in downtown Manhattan. 
After the swearing in, Donlon, who was born in the Bronx and had been running a security firm after retiring from federal service, met briefly with about 25 NYPD chiefs and other executive staff, said an NYPD spokesman. 
Following the group meeting with the executive staff, Donlon met with Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner for a briefing, the spokesman said. In the coming days Donlon is expected to be meeting individually with the chiefs and other executives. 
Donlon takes over following Caban’s abrupt announcement Thursday that he was leaving because reports of a federal investigation that&nbsp;led to the seizure of his cellphone and those of other police officials had become too much of a distraction from crime fighting. 
Neither Caban nor any one else has been charged with wrongdoing. 
According to reports, the investigation is focusing on the business dealings of Caban's twin brother, James. Thursday, Caban’s attorneys said he was told by federal prosecutors that he was not the target of the investigation. 
The NYPD moved fast when Caban’s tenure ended. His photos in police headquarters and NYPD websites were taken down when his duties ended at 5 p.m.&nbsp;Caban was not in the building Friday when Donlon entered headquarters, officials said. 
Donlon is the sixth person to occupy the spot of commissioner, either interim or permanent, since January 2015. The department has about 33,400 officers and about 20,000 civilian employees. 
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said in a statement Thursday that he wished Donlon&nbsp;well but said&nbsp;the rank-and-file officers and the department are under stress with heavy work loads, physical attacks and attrition.

nyCOMMISH240914

Interim NYPD police commissioner sworn in as predecessor goes out the door

Interim NYPD police commissioner sworn in as predecessor leaves

nyCOMMISH240914_photos

Edward Caban, the city’s first Hispanic police commissioner, resigned Thursday under pressure amid a federal criminal investigation that led to the FBI's seizure of cellphones belonging to him, other NYPD personnel and his twin brother. 
Caban’s resignation was announced midday in a virtual address by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and was preceded by a letter of resignation sent to&nbsp;Adams, whose administration is itself the subject of separate federal investigations into his mayoralty and political campaign. 
 In a departmentwide email, Caban, 57, said he made what he called the &quot;difficult decision to resign as Police Commissioner,&quot; because of &quot;the news around recent developments has create a distraction for our department and I am unwilling to let my attention be on anything but our important work.&quot; 
Adams spoke remotely because of what he has said is a bout of COVID-19. He said the resignation &quot;is the best decision at this time. I respect his decision and wish him well.&quot; He took no questions. 
He said he's appointed former FBI official Thomas G. Donlon as interim police commissioner, who will serve until a permanent replacement is picked. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Tom Donlon, a retired FBI official, has been named as the interim police commissioner of the New York City Police Department on Thursday.
" data-attr-credit="AP" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/59cd0992-5bba-48df-9b4b-01946273b7ab" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/59cd0992-5bba-48df-9b4b-01946273b7ab', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/59cd0992-5bba-48df-9b4b-01946273b7ab"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/59cd0992-5bba-48df-9b4b-01946273b7ab/ac7759439757494a85e0f5da8.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Tom Donlon, a retired FBI official, has been named as the interim police commissioner of the New York City Police Department on Thursday. </a> 
Donlon will oversee about 34,000 officers, the country's largest police force. 
&quot;I am honored and humbled to be named interim-Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, the greatest law enforcement agency in the world,&quot; Donlon said in a statement released by Adams' press office. &quot;My goals are clear: continue the historic progress decreasing crime and removing illegal guns from our communities, uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency and support our dedicated officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.&quot; 
Since retiring from the FBI, Donlon has run Global Security Resolutions, a private security and consulting firm in lower Manhattan. According to the firm’s website, Donlon was assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force in the FBI’s New York office, where he was co-case agent on the 1993 World Trade Center bombing investigation. Donlon was also involved in a series of major terrorism investigations, including the 1998 East Africa U.S. Embassy bombing, the USS Cole bombing, as well as Sept. 11. 
Donlon also served as New York’ s Director of Office of Homeland Security. 
Caban’s resignation comes amid the federal investigation, which law enforcement sources and news reports said was sparked by private business dealings of his twin brother, James. 
Neither Caban, his brother nor any officials with the NYPD have been charged with wrongdoing, and federal officials have not commented on the focus of the investigation. But reports said the investigation is centered on James’ business and connections with private security and nightclubs. 
In a statement issued later Thursday, Edward Caban’s attorneys Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski lauded their client’s public service and added the government said Caban &quot;is not a target of any investigation being conducted by the Southern District of New York, and he expects to cooperate fully with the government.&quot; 
Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton told Newsday, &quot;I think he did the right thing for himself, his family and the department.&quot; 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="New York City Mayor Eric Adams, left, appoints Edward Caban, right, as NYPD commissioner outside the 40th Precinct in the Bronx on July 17, 2023.
" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/5a46947e-3acf-4d96-b854-4191fddf02cd" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/5a46947e-3acf-4d96-b854-4191fddf02cd', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/5a46947e-3acf-4d96-b854-4191fddf02cd"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/5a46947e-3acf-4d96-b854-4191fddf02cd/nyNYPD2307161013516.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />New York City Mayor Eric Adams, left, appoints Edward Caban, right, as NYPD commissioner outside the 40th Precinct in the Bronx on July 17, 2023. </a> 
The police-focused investigation appears to be separate from probes into public corruption and campaign financing involving Adams and his circle, as&nbsp;well as business dealings of persons with personal and professional&nbsp;relationships with the mayor. 
Last week, the FBI raided the homes of three high-ranking officials in&nbsp;Adams’ administration as part of an investigation, a source familiar with the matter said.&nbsp;Federal agents searched the homes of Philip Banks, deputy mayor for public safety, and Sheena Wright, the first deputy mayor, who lives with New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks. 
Electronic devices from both houses were seized in the searches, The Associated Press reported. 
Additionally, a pair of high-ranking NYPD officials&nbsp;were asked to hand over their phones to federal authorities, according to spokesman Tarik Sheppard. He declined at the time to name the officials and could not say if the seizure was related to the other search warrants. A law enforcement official who didn't want to be identified said federal investigators seized the phone of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. 
&quot;The Department is aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York involving members of service,&quot; Sheppard said in a statement. &quot;The Department is fully cooperating in the investigation.&quot; 
Federal investigators also raided the home of Tim Pearson, a law enforcement adviser to the mayor who once worked in the NYPD, The Associated Press reported. 
Manhattan federal prosecutor Damian Williams declined to comment on the raids last week. 
Newsday previously reported the federal probes into the Adams administration have focused on favors to the Turkish government, pressure on FDNY personnel to sign off on fire inspections, free high-dollar seat upgrades on Turkish Airways, straw donors and potentially illegal campaign contributions. 
Caban took over as police commissioner in July 2023 after then-commissioner Keechant Sewell, a longtime Nassau County police official, abruptly quit over what law enforcement sources said was her disillusionment at being micromanaged by Adams and his staff, notably Deputy Mayor Phil Banks. At the time, Adams would not comment on the reasons Sewell gave for her resignation. 
Caban, who is of Puerto Rican descent and was raised in the Bronx, joined the NYPD in 1991 and rose through the ranks until in 2022 he was tapped to be first deputy commissioner under Sewell. The move to first deputy put Caban in line to replace Sewell when she quit, and in 2023 Adams appointed him commissioner. 
His term as the 47th NYPD commissioner ends officially at end of business day Friday, the police department said.

nyCABAN240913

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban quits amid federal probe

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban resigns amid federal probe

_photos

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams declined to say Tuesday if he remained confident in the city's police commissioner, days after federal agents seized the cellphones of the head of the police department and at least four other high-ranking mayoral deputies.
In his first news conference since the whirlwind of seizures, Adams — whose own devices were taken by FBI agents in November — acknowledged that the sudden increase in federal scrutiny had “raised a lot of questions and a lot of concerns.” He then deflected questions about whether he planned to remove the police commissioner, Edward Caban, amid a series of news reports claiming Caban is under pressure to resign.
“I have the utmost confidence in the New York City Police Department,” Adams said when asked if he remained confident in Caban's leadership, noting that if there are any changes, his administration would announce them.
Quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday, Adams spoke to reporters online for more than an hour, striking a sober and cautious tone as he sidestepped questions about how many members of his administration had been contacted by federal agents or if anyone would be stripped of their duties. 
He also declined to say whether Caban had been barred from communicating with federal law enforcement agencies, which work in close cooperation with the nation's largest police department. 
Instead, Adams spoke at length about his background as a child of working class parents who rose to become a New York City police captain, noting: “My entire life has been pursuit of justice and this administration will continue to do that no matter what happens.&quot;
The comments came six days after federal investigators seized devices from Caban, as well Adams’ first deputy mayor, Sheena Wright; her partner and the city’s schools chancellor, David Banks; the deputy mayor for public safety, Philip Banks, who is Banks’ brother; and Timothy Pearson, one of the mayor’s closest confidants. 
Wright, who attended Tuesday’s virtual briefing, said she was “cooperating fully” with the investigation.
The agents also seized devices from Terence Banks, the youngest of the three Banks brothers, who runs a private consultancy that represents companies with business before the city. Federal authorities are also investigating the police commissioner’s twin brother, James Caban, who runs a nightclub security business, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Asked about his relationship to the two men on Tuesday, Adams said he had been close to the entire Banks family for years, but had never met with Terence Banks to discuss city business. He said he does not know James Caban well.
“We exchange pleasantries when we see each other, as I do with everyone,” the mayor said.
An attorney for Terence Banks has confirmed his home was searched by the FBI, but would not comment further. Phone calls to a number listed for James Caban were not returned.
The most recent seizures appear to be separate from the investigation that led federal agents to take the mayor’s phones in November, which centered at least in part on an inquiry seeking information about the mayor’s overseas travel and potential connections to the Turkish government, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigations. 
No one has been accused of a crime in connection with any of the federal investigations. Both the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which is leading some of the investigations, have declined to comment. 
In February, federal agents searched the home of Adams’ director of Asian Affairs, Winnie Greco, as part of a separate investigation overseen by the Brooklyn U.S. attorney’s office. 
The mayor’s former buildings commissioner, Eric Ulrich, is also facing state charges for allegedly accepting bribes, while several people who contributed to the mayor’s campaign were charged in a straw-donor scheme last year.
Adams, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, declined to say if he would step aside if he's charged with a crime. Instead, he said, “I am committed to completing my term as the mayor of the city of New York and running for reelection.&quot;
He then invoked the upcoming anniversary of Sept. 11, pointing to the “grit, grind, and attitude” of New Yorkers in the aftermath of the attacks. 
“That’s who I am,” Adams said. “I am a resilient New Yorker.”

AP-US-NYC-Mayor-Investigation, 3rd Ld-Writethru

NYC mayor won't say if he backs police commissioner under an investigative cloud

NYC Mayor Investigation

The FBI raided the homes of three high-ranking officials in New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration as part of a criminal investigation,&nbsp;a source familiar with the matter&nbsp;said. 
Federal agents searched the homes of Philip Banks,&nbsp;deputy mayor for public safety and Sheena Wright, the first deputy mayor, who lives with New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks. 
&quot;Investigators have not indicated to us the mayor or his staff are targets of any investigation,&quot;&nbsp;Lisa Zornberg, chief counsel to the mayor, said Thursday in a statement issued by Adams' press office. &quot;As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has repeatedly made clear that all members of the team need to follow the law.&quot; 
Electronic devices from both houses were seized in the searches, according to The Associated Press. 
Wright and the&nbsp;Bankses, who are brothers, could not be reached for comment. 
Additionally, a pair of high-ranking NYPD officials were asked to hand over their phones to federal authorities, according to spokesman Tarik Sheppard. He declined to name the officials and could not say if the seizure&nbsp;was related to the other search warrants.&nbsp; &nbsp;A law&nbsp;enforcement official who didn't want to be identified said that federal investigators&nbsp;seized the phone of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban on Aug. 1.
" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/13dc5fc9-be4c-4e1c-bd2b-8102500da27e" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/13dc5fc9-be4c-4e1c-bd2b-8102500da27e', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/13dc5fc9-be4c-4e1c-bd2b-8102500da27e"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/13dc5fc9-be4c-4e1c-bd2b-8102500da27e/nyADAMS2.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban on Aug. 1. </a> 
&quot;The Department is aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York involving members of service,&quot; Sheppard said.&nbsp;&quot;The Department is fully cooperating in the investigation.&quot; 
Federal investigators also raided the home of Tim Pearson, a law enforcement&nbsp;adviser to the mayor who once worked in the NYPD, The Associated Press reported. 
Manhattan federal prosecutor Damian Williams declined to comment on the raids. 
The mayor's private attorneys with the firm WilmerHale referred all questions to City Hall. The FBI New York field office did not respond to a request for comment. 
Late Thursday afternoon, Adams was besieged at City Hall by reporters shouting questions, which went unanswered. 
&quot;I’m going to continue to be the mayor of the city of New York, the greatest city on the globe,&quot; Adams said. He added: &quot;The goal&nbsp;is what I’ve always done and that is follow the law.&quot; 
&quot;As I’ve lived my entire life, and I have confidence in the team here, we’re gonna follow the rules and comply with any questions that are asked of us.&quot; 
Adams flashed a thumbs-up for news cameras: &quot;Did you get that thumbs-up?&quot; 
Newsday previously reported that the federal probes into the Adams administration have focused on favors to the Turkish government, pressure on FDNY personnel to sign off on fire inspections, free high-dollar seat upgrades on Turkish Airways,&nbsp;straw donors and potentially illegal campaign contributions. 
News of the raid was first reported by the local news website The City. A&nbsp;source familiar with the matter who asked&nbsp;said the federal investigation is unrelated to two other probes — one by Manhattan prosecutors and another by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn. 
That would make this the third federal investigation into the Adams administration, which has vowed that the mayor is cooperating with authorities. 
News of a federal inquiry into Adams’ administration first surfaced in the fall of 2023 when the Brooklyn home of Brianna Suggs, a&nbsp;member of his successful mayoral campaign, was raided. The warrant indicated that federal investigators were focusing on a Turkish construction company. 
Two weeks later FBI agents asked the mayor’s security detail to step aside by his SUV after a public event so that they could seize his phones and other electronic devices. 
Agents also served warrants on the New Jersey home of mayoral aide Rana Abbasova, who helped make inroads into the Turkish community. 
The homes of City Hall Asian Affairs adviser Winnie Greco, who worked as a liaison between the administration and the Asian community, was raided by the FBI in February. 
During the summer, prosecutors subpoenaed the mayor as part of an investigation into his successful 2021 political campaign and his administration. 
At the time, attorneys for Adams said that the mayor was cooperating with investigators and maintained that he had broken no laws. 
&quot;Over the past nine months, we have conducted our own investigation of the areas we understand the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been reviewing. Our investigation has included an evaluation of campaign documents, an analysis of tens of thousands of electronic communications, and witness interviews,&quot; lawyers Brendan McGuire and Boyd Johson said in a statement issued in August. &quot;To be clear, we have not identified any evidence of illegal conduct by the Mayor.&quot; 
Pearson and&nbsp;Philip Banks have both been controversial in their tenures with the Adams administration. 
Banks stepped down from his position at the&nbsp;NYPD in 2014 amid a federal corruption investigation and was later named by federal prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in a police bribery scheme. He accepted expensive meals, tickets to sporting events and other gifts from two businessmen who were trying to obtain police escorts, special parking privileges and other favors from the NYPD, according to the FBI. 
Pearson has been accused of sexual harassment in four different lawsuits filed this year, according to court records. He stepped down from a lucrative position at a Queens casino after The New York Times reported that he was also earning $240,000 working for the Adams administration and collecting his police pension.&nbsp;

NYADAMS240906

FBI raids homes of New York City First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and deputy mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks, source says

FBI raids homes of high-ranking officials in NYC Mayor Adams' administration, source says

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors who are conducting a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/public-corruption-investigation-new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-ukrrbzi6" target="_blank">public corruption investigation</a> into him, relating to his administration and his successful 2021 campaign. 
The existence of the&nbsp;subpoenas was confirmed late Thursday by WilmerHale, an outside law firm representing Adams. The timing of the subpoenas wasn't disclosed, although the firm said it had been recently.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
The subpoenas, by the United States&nbsp;Attorney's Office, reflect&nbsp;an escalation of&nbsp;an investigation that has included FBI raids of homes owned by multiple top aides and donors to Adams, as well as seizures of Adams' own&nbsp;electronic devices. 
The particulars of the subpoenas — first reported earlier Thursday by The New York Times — were not disclosed, but the investigation has reportedly focused on free flight upgrades received by Adams, potentially illegal&nbsp;political contributions by people connected to the Turkish government,&nbsp;and a certificate of&nbsp;occupancy granted to a Turkish government building in Manhattan,&nbsp;at the request of Adams despite FDNY safety concerns. 
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan declined to comment. 
Calling into GMGT Live’s “The Reset Talk Show,” Adams&nbsp;on Friday morning said there is “an active review of our 2021 campaign.” 
“From the first time this happened, we've been extremely transparent about making sure if there are documents that's looked at, they're going to see text messages or any other items,” Adams said. “We're going to turn it over and walk away. I believe showing that I did nothing wrong.” 
In a statement issued by WilmerHale, attorneys Brendan McGuire and Boyd Johnson wrote that the firm had done its own investigation of what the U.S. Attorney's Office is reportedly scrutinizing, and Adams' lawyers found no criminality by Adams. 
&quot;Over the past nine months, we have conducted our own investigation of the areas we understand the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been reviewing. Our investigation has included an evaluation of campaign documents, an analysis of tens of thousands of electronic communications, and witness interviews,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp;&quot;To be clear, we have not identified any evidence of illegal conduct by the Mayor. 
&quot;To the contrary, we have identified extensive evidence undermining the reported theories of federal prosecution as to the Mayor, which we have voluntarily shared with the U.S. Attorney. We continue to cooperate with the investigation and are in the process of responding to the recently issued subpoenas. We continue to look forward to a prompt and just resolution of this investigation.&quot; 
Adams’ deputy for communications, Fabien Levy, issued a statement that did not acknowledge the subpoenas and referred further&nbsp;inquiries&nbsp;to WilmerHale. 
But, Levy said,&nbsp;“As a former member of law enforcement, the mayor has been clear over the last nine months that he will cooperate with any investigation underway. Nothing has changed. He expects everyone to cooperate to swiftly bring this investigation to a close.” 
In June, Adams' chief&nbsp;counsel at City Hall, Lisa Zornberg, reacting to news about a&nbsp;grand jury in the case,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/464-24/transcript-mayor-adams-hold-person-media-availability" target="_blank">downplayed</a> the development, calling it&nbsp;unremarkable in federal investigations, or as she referred to what is happening in the case,&nbsp;a review. 
&quot;In the federal system,&quot; Zornberg said, &quot;subpoenas are served all the time during reviews.&quot; 
Zornberg has said&nbsp;she's seen no indication that&nbsp;Adams is a target. 
With Janon Fisher

NYADAMS240816

Feds subpoena New York City Mayor Eric Adams, his lawyers say

Feds subpoena NYC Mayor Adams

nyFLOORS240814_photos

Federal prosecutors’ scrutiny of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ political fundraising includes a focus on potentially illegal campaign donations, free flight upgrades to the highest class of seats&nbsp;and allegations of undue pressure he allegedly exerted on the FDNY to sign off on the Turkish government’s skyscraper consulate in midtown Manhattan&nbsp;despite numerous safety “deficiencies” identified by inspectors. 
The FBI also has raided homes of Adams’ confidants and seized his electronic devices. And a grand jury has <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/06/07/federal-grand-jury-reviewing-evidence-as-part-of-probe-into-mayor-adams-campaign-sources-turkey/" target="_blank">reportedly</a> been reviewing evidence. 
As Adams — a Democrat <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/02/nyregion/eric-adams-mayor.html" target="_blank">elected</a> mayor&nbsp;in 2021 as a former NYPD captain promising to combat crime — seeks reelection in 2025, here are answers to key questions about the public corruption investigation. 
<h2>Why are federal prosecutors investigating Adams and his circle?</h2> 
The mayor and some of those in his circle, including a fundraiser and several high-ranking officials, have been dogged by allegations relating to favoritism toward&nbsp;those who donated to Adams’ political campaigns. Some of those contributions <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/02/01/eric-adams-campaign-secret-donors/" target="_blank">appear</a> to have been by straw donors. (With <a href="https://politicaldictionary.com/words/straw-donor/" target="_blank">straw donations</a>, which are illegal,&nbsp;contributors mask their true identity by&nbsp;using someone else’s. Sometimes that other&nbsp;person is reimbursed; sometimes that other person&nbsp;isn’t aware the name had been used.) 
<h2>What have Adams and his attorneys said about the investigation?</h2> 
Adams has not been charged with a crime. A statement from the mayor, issued after the seizure of his devices,&nbsp;has said he’s done nothing wrong and has “nothing to hide,” adding: “As a former member of law enforcement, I expect all members of my staff to follow the law and fully cooperate with any sort of investigation — and I will continue to do exactly that.” His <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/543-23/mayor-adams-appoints-lisa-zornberg-city-hall-chief-counsel" target="_blank">chief counsel</a> at City Hall, Lisa Zornberg —&nbsp;herself a former federal prosecutor who was chief of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York —&nbsp;has said: “There has been no indication that I’ve seen that the mayor is a target.” Last week, he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yUB73ewCm0" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;it was&nbsp;“stupid” to ask&nbsp;about the prospect of an&nbsp;indictment. 
<h2>What is the alleged role of the Turkish government in the case?</h2> 
Investigators are reportedly looking into whether Adams’ mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government to channel foreign money to help Adams win in 2021. 
<h2>What was Adams’ involvement with a Turkish government high-rise in Manhattan?</h2> 
Soon after winning the Democratic mayoral primary two years ago, Adams <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/12/nyregion/eric-adams-investigation-turkey-consulate.html" target="_blank">reached out</a> to then-FDNY Commissioner&nbsp;Daniel Nigro&nbsp;and asked him to let the building allow occupancy.&nbsp;The FDNY had rejected a fire safety plan submitted by a consultant for the Turks. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="The FDNY rejected a safety plan for the Turkevi Center, a Turkish-owned building in Manhattan, but it eventually opened after Mayor Adams intervened." data-attr-credit="Anadolu Agency via Getty Images" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/7b9d4f7d-32d6-4819-ab2f-095915411dc9" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/7b9d4f7d-32d6-4819-ab2f-095915411dc9', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/7b9d4f7d-32d6-4819-ab2f-095915411dc9"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/7b9d4f7d-32d6-4819-ab2f-095915411dc9/GettyImages-1234747922.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />The FDNY rejected a safety plan for the Turkevi Center, a Turkish-owned building in Manhattan, but it eventually opened after Mayor Adams intervened.</a> 
Soon after Adams intervened, and the building was able to open, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, presided over the grand opening during a visit for the United Nations General Assembly. 
<h2>What happened when the FBI seized Adams’ electronic devices?</h2> 
In November, FBI agents approached Adams as he was leaving a public event in Manhattan, asked his NYPD bodyguards to step aside, and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-mayor-eric-adams-fbi-investigation-0349a188b77baf822748fedf18b7ea4f" target="_blank">seized</a> his&nbsp;cellphones and an iPad.&nbsp; 
<h2>Who are the Adams associates whose homes have been raided?</h2> 
Less than a week before Adams’ devices were seized, federal agents went to Brooklyn to raid the home&nbsp;of Adams’ top campaign fundraiser, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/18/eric-adams-fundraiser-financial-arrangement-00136497" target="_blank">Brianna Suggs</a>. A search warrant said&nbsp;the raid was related to an investigation into KSK Construction, a firm owned by Turkish immigrants, which helped hold a fundraiser for Adams in 2021. Filings made public earlier this month show that she’s still working for, and being paid&nbsp;by, Adams’&nbsp;campaign. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Federal agents have raided the home of Rana Abbasova, an aide to Mayor Eric Adams who helped him make in-roads with the city's Turkish and Azerbaijani communities." data-attr-credit="" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/4990af25-4acd-436c-b4d9-9faecd1da433" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/4990af25-4acd-436c-b4d9-9faecd1da433', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/4990af25-4acd-436c-b4d9-9faecd1da433"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/4990af25-4acd-436c-b4d9-9faecd1da433/Rana-Abbasova.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Federal agents have raided the home of Rana Abbasova, an aide to Mayor Eric Adams who helped him make in-roads with the city's Turkish and Azerbaijani communities.</a> 
Agents also raided the home of Adams aide Rana Abbasova, who helped him&nbsp;make inroads with the city’s Turks and Azerbaijanis and assisted in setting up meetings with foreign governments. (Abbasova is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/20/nyregion/adams-fbi-corruption-investigation-aide.html" target="_blank">reportedly cooperating</a> with prosecutors.) Earlier this year, agents&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/02/29/winnie-greco-fbi-raid/" target="_blank">raided</a> two Bronx homes owned by City Hall Asian affairs adviser Winnie Greco, who was involved in fundraising events at a Flushing mall that has ties to potential illegal straw donations and also was raided by agents. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Earlier this year, federal agents also raided two Bronx homes owned by City Hall Asian affairs adviser Winnie Greco." data-attr-credit="Mayoral Photography Office" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/40b61b7e-0931-4650-8270-460a86efeda2" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/40b61b7e-0931-4650-8270-460a86efeda2', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/40b61b7e-0931-4650-8270-460a86efeda2"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/40b61b7e-0931-4650-8270-460a86efeda2/51870876896_8ca939e2f8222.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Earlier this year, federal agents also raided two Bronx homes owned by City Hall Asian affairs adviser Winnie Greco.</a> 
<h2>What sort of alleged special treatment did Adams receive on flights?</h2> 
The federal investigation is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/05/nyregion/eric-adams-turkish-airlines-upgrades.html">examining</a> upgrades on international trips that Adams received from Turkish Airlines, a probe that&nbsp;also has led to the FBI search of the home of a former top executive in New York&nbsp;of Turkish Airlines. Adams has attended meetings and other events with representatives of&nbsp;the airline, which is partly owned by the country’s sovereign wealth fund. Some of the flight upgrades reportedly were coordinated involving the airline executive and Abbasova. Adams got upgrades as Brooklyn borough president and later as mayor, both on personal and official trips. 
<h2>Adams and his team use&nbsp;the term ‘review’&nbsp;instead of 'investigation.’ Why?</h2> 
Adams isn’t the first embattled politician to choose the term “review” during an investigation. During the 2021 probe of then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that led to his resignation, he and his team also eschewed “investigation” for “review.” 
As for the Adams team's use of the term, Zornberg declined to explain when asked earlier this month. 
“I’m not sure I even get the question,” <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/528-24/transcript-mayor-adams-holds-in-person-media-availability#:~:text=Lisa%20Zornberg%2C%20Chief%20Counsel%20to%20the%20Mayor%20and%20City%20Hall%3A%20I%27m%20not%20sure%20I%20even%20get%20the%20question.%20It%20seems%20like%20you%27re%20trying%20to%20just%20ask%20about%20%E2%80%93%20I%20think%20that%27s%20a%20colloquial%20term%2C%20and%20I%27m%20not%20going%20to%20get%20into%20it.%20Let%27s%20talk%20about%20smishing." target="_blank">she told Newsday</a>. “It seems like you're trying to just ask about — I think that's a colloquial term, and I’m not going to get into it.”

NYLEGAL240714

NYC Mayor Eric Adams corruption probe: The latest on the investigation

Flight upgrades, donations, FBI raids: The latest on the investigation of NYC's mayor

nyLEGAL240714_photos

Mayor Eric Adams: Complete coverage

Mayor Eric Adams: Complete coverage

Most Popular

Latest video

Stay logged in.