Eric Adams' criminal case: Prosecutors oppose dropping bribery charge, arguing they have strong evidence against him, filings show
New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
Manhattan federal prosecutors said Friday that the bribery charge should not be dropped against New York City Mayor Eric Adams because they have enough clear evidence that he accepted free air travel after pressuring the FDNY — over the objection of inspectors — into opening Turkey’s new 36-story consulate.
The mayor’s defense lawyer Alex Spiro sought last month to dismiss the charge that Adams received more than $100,000 in free and discounted luxury travel from Turkish Airlines for nearly a decade in exchange for official favors for businesspeople and a Turkish official.
His lawyer said it was a case of prosecutorial overreach in which the U.S. Attorney’s Office failed to make a distinction between bribes and gratuities — "gifts meant to curry favor with governmental officials but not linked to any specific question or matter."
Bribes, according to a three-year-old U.S. Supreme Court decision, are benefits given explicitly for an official act performed and violate federal law.
Spiro did not challenge the four other charges that the mayor defrauded the city campaign finance system by receiving illegal campaign cash from foreign donors and disguising the contributions with straw donors. Adams pleaded not guilty to all five counts of the indictment on Sept. 27.
The bribery charge focuses primarily on the alleged push by Adams to pressure fire department officials to sign off on the opening of the Turkish consulate in the fall of 2021 ahead of that country’s presidential visit to New York City.
After years of allegedly receiving the free airfare, a Turkish official told an Adams surrogate that it was now "his turn" to do something for Turkey, according to prosecutors.
Though still Brooklyn borough president, Adams had won the Democratic primary and was considered a shoo-in to be the next mayor.
A series of email messages between Adams and the FDNY commissioner quoted by prosecutors in the indictment show that he asked for the building to be opened despite deficiencies in the fire alarm system, prosecutors say.
"Adams pushed the FDNY Commissioner for fast action, and the Fire Prevention Chief turned on a dime, having been told he would be fired if he failed to comply," Assistant U.S. Attorney Celia Cohen wrote in her opposition to dropping the bribery charge.
Spiro argued that these exchanges merely show Adams "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."
In their rebuttal, prosecutors said that there was a connection between the mayor’s conversation with the fire commissioner and the gifts that he received afterward.
"In return, Adams got, among other things, over $12,000 in free airfare on a trip to Africa, an all-expenses-paid night on the town in Istanbul and various perks — including transportation, lodging and a VIP suite in the Turkish Airline’s business class lounge for his chief fundraiser," Cohen wrote in her motion.
She also cited other official acts, like Adams cutting off Turkish groups out of favor with the country’s current regime.
Spiro has until Oct. 25 to respond to the prosecutors’ brief and Judge Dale Ho promised to schedule a hearing on the matter for Nov. 1, if necessary.
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