US prosecutors have charged New York City Eric Adams with bribery and fraud charges as part of a “long-running” scheme that has upended politics in America’s largest city.
As part of what officials have described as an “abuse of power”, Adams is alleged to have accepted illegal gifts worth over $100,000 (£75,000) from Turkish citizens and at least one government official.
In exchange, Turkish officials are believed to have sought favours from the mayor, including help skirting safety regulations to open a consulate in New York, according to prosecutors.
Adams, a former police captain, has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight the allegations in court.
Here’s what we know.
What is Eric Adams accused of?
Eric Adams is facing five separate criminal counts, including “conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals”, wire fraud, two counts of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national and bribery”.
According to the 57-page indictment, Adams allegedly accepted more than $100,000 in luxury travel – including hotel stays, lavish meals and airline upgrades – from Turkish nationals beginning in 2016, when he still served as president of the New York borough of Brooklyn.
In one instance, for example, Adams is alleged to have received a “heavily discounted” stay at the “Bentley Room” of Istanbul’s St Regis hotel, paying $600 for a two-day visit that was valued at approximately $7,000.
“This was a multi-year scheme to buy favour with a single New York City politician on the rise,” US Attorney Damian Williams said at a news conference.
Additionally, Adams is alleged to have sought out campaign contributions from Turkish sources for his 2021 mayoral election campaign.
None of this was publicly declared, and prosecutors claim Adams used “straw donors” to hide the sources of the money, and at times created “fake paper trails” that suggested he paid, or intended to pay, for the gifts.
What is the wire fraud charge?
One of the charges in the indictment, wire fraud, stems from allegations that Adams devised a scheme to obtain money “by making false and fraudulent pretences” in his dealings.
Specifically, prosecutors claim that the money Adams obtained from Turkey allowed him to qualify for a public financing programme that provides eligible political candidates with funds to match donations from New York City residents.
As part of the initiative, known as the Matching Funds Program, candidates are prohibited from accepting contributions from people who are not US citizens or lawful residents, as well as corporations and foreign entities and organisations.
According to the justice department, Adams fraudulently obtained as much as $2,000 in public funds for each illegal contribution.
What did Adams allegedly do in exchange?
In exchange for the campaign contributions and lavish travel, Adams is alleged to have responded to a variety of concerns from Turkish nationals and at least one government official.
In 2016, for example, the indictment claims that Adams was told that he would cut ties with a Turkish community centre in Brooklyn after a Turkish official told him it was affiliated with a group “hostile” to Turkey’s government.
That Turkish official also reportedly told him that he could no longer associate with the centre if he wished to keep receiving “support” from Turkey’s government.
In another instance in 2021, prosecutors allege that Adams – at the behest of a Turkish diplomat – also pressured an official from New York’s fire department to help make sure the new Turkish consular building in the city was ready for a visit from Turkey’s president – without a fire inspection.
The fire department official responsible for the assessment of the skyscraper consulate building was told he would lose his job if he failed to approve the building, prosecutors allege.
In that instance, the indictment claims that a Turkish official told Adams it was “his turn to repay” him.
“After Adams intervened, the skyscraper opened as requested by the Turkish official,” the indictment says.
Adams has denied these claims as well.
“I know I don’t take money from foreign donors,” he said on Thursday.
Could Adams go to prison?
In theory, Adams could face a lengthy prison sentence for the charges.
The wire fraud count alone carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, while both counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals each carry a maximum sentence of five years.
The bribery charge carries a maximum charge of 10 years in prison.
The remaining charge, “conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals” carries with it a maximum sentence of five years.
In the shorter-term, the charges are likely to imperil Adams’ political future ahead of his 2025 re-election bid.
Dozens of lawmakers, including members of New York’s city council and Democratic US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes, have called on him to step down.
Adams has vowed to fight the charges and called for an “immediate” trial, resisting calls to resign.
“I will continue to do my job as mayor,” he said at a news conference.
By BBC News
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