The indictment against New York City Mayor Eric Adams encompasses five distinct charges.
In exchange, the indictment alleges that Adams coerced the Fire Department of New York to approve the establishment of a new Turkish consular building within the city without undergoing a fire inspection. Furthermore, his political campaign illegally utilized these donations to embezzle funds through New York City's matching funds system, as claimed by the indictment.
These accusations serve as the primary basis for the federal indictment charging Adams with five offenses: bribery, wire fraud, conspiring, and two counts of soliciting unlawful campaign contributions from foreign nationals.
Adams, who was elected as a Democrat in 2021, maintains his innocence and has no intentions of resigning, stating, "I look forward to defending myself and defending the people of this city as I've done throughout my entire professional career."
By analyzing the 57-page, 15,000-word indictment, CNN identified several key aspects. Overall, it clarifies the deals between Adams and foreign nationals, efforts to mask their activities, and specific charges aimed to be proven in court.
The gifts Adams supposedly received
For nearly a decade, the indictment alleges, Adams solicited and accepted gifts such as complimentary luxury travel and campaign donations from foreign businessmen. Between 2016 and October 2023, Adams reportedly perpetrated 23 overt acts, including accepting free flights, hotel rooms, and coordinating straw donations.
Prosecutors allege that these foreign nationals circumvented federal regulations through the use of "straw donors," who falsely claimed to be contributing their own money. The indictment provides details about free flight tickets and upgrades to business class, as well as stays at luxurious hotels, meals at high-end restaurants, and other posh entertainment while in Turkey.
Adams is reported to have accepted a trip worth over $41,000 in 2017, inclusive of free business class flight tickets and a heavily discounted hotel suite stay at the St. Regis Istanbul. This trip was not disclosed, the indictment alleges. Between 2016 and 2021, Adams is said to have amassed over $123,000 worth of luxury travel perks, without detectable disclosure.
The mayor, by 2018, was reportedly not only soliciting but also encouraging illegal campaign contributions from foreign natives and seeking additional personal benefits.
By January 2022, he consented to accepting foreign contributions to his 2025 campaign, as alleged by the indictment.
‘It's time for him to pay back:’ The gifts Adams supposedly offered
Foreign nationals offered Adams luxury travel and other perks in return for his assistance, according to the indictment. In September 2021, a Turkish official told Adams it was his turn to repay, urging him to pressure the Fire Department of New York to open a Turkish consular building in the city without a fire inspection prior to a significant visit from Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The building failed FDNY inspections, and after conversing with the FDNY Commissioner, Adams pleaded for approval of the building, the indictment alleges. The FDNY Chief of Department reportedly warned that they would lose their jobs if they failed to secure an issuance certificate for the building, the indictment suggests. The prevention chief then drafted an unusual letter of no objection to the issuance, which was not the standard FDNY procedure, according to the indictment.
After Adams intervened, the building was reportedly opened as required by the Turkish official, as revealed by court documents.
CNN has reached out to the Turkish House and the FDNY.
Attempts to hide the scheme
The indictment claims that Adams and his collaborators, including an unnamed "Adams staffer," attempted to conceal their activities from the public by creating false paper trails, erasing messages, and changing passwords.
"As described above, Adams repeatedly did not disclose the free and heavily discounted travel benefits he accepted from the Turkish Official, the Promoter, and the Airline Manager; created a false paper trail to suggest he had paid for this travel when, in fact, he had not; assured the Adams Staffer that he had a practice of deleting all his messages with the Adams Staffer; and directed the Adams Staffer to ensure that her activities in Turkey in 2021 were shielded from public view," says the indictment.
Adams and colleagues allegedly worked to conceal the scheme even after learning about the federal investigation in November 2021, according to prosecutors.
During an investigation interview, an Adams staffer left to use the bathroom and subsequently deleted encrypted messaging applications used to interact with Adams and others, the indictment states. Another instance involved the passcode for Adams' personal cell phone.
When investigators searched for Adams' electronic devices on November 6, he did not have his phone with him. He eventually handed it over to investigators the next day following a subpoena, but it was "locked" and required a password, the indictment states. Adams claimed to have changed the password the day before to evade his staff inadvertently or intentionally deleting the phone's content, the indictment suggests. He then stated that he forgot the new password, according to prosecutors.
The major accusation levied against Adams is wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. This allegation revolves around Adams apparently pilfering funds from New York City's election matching program. Designed to amplify city residents' influence in elections, this program doubles contributions from local residents with public funds, but it prohibits the utilization of "straw donations," as per the indictment. Candidates are obligated to verify adherence to campaign finance regulations.
The indictment alleges more than that. Not only did Adams accept unlawful campaign contributions, but he also utilized eight of these illicit donations to request matching funds, potentially receiving as much as $2,000 for each violation. His campaign then falsely declared compliance, according to the indictment.
The indictment does not explicitly state the sum of matching public funds allegedly obtained due to the eight illegal straw donations by Adams. His 2021 mayoral campaign reportedly fetched over $10 million in public funds from the city's matching funds program, as per the indictment.
Bribery is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison. This charge pertains to the alleged exchange of luxury travel benefits from a Turkish official in return for approving the Turkish House, as per the indictment.
The two counts of appealing for campaign contributions from foreign nationals each carry a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison. One of these charges is based on 2021 allegations, while the other stems from 2023 accusations.
Lastly, there's a conspiracy charge, which is punishable by up to 5 years in prison. The indictment alleges Adams and unnamed others conspired to commit federal offenses, including wire fraud, soliciting and accepting unlawful campaign contributions, and bribery. The indictment lists 23 specific actions in support of the conspiracy.
CNN's Jeff Winter, Nicki Brown, and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.
Upon hearing about these allegations, our local community expresses concern about the integrity of our elected officials. We believe that every citizen deserves transparency and accountability from those who represent us.
In light of these accusations, it's crucial for us, as a united 'us', to stay informed about the progress of this case and encourage a fair trial. Our voice matters, and standing together, we can uphold the values of honesty and integrity that our city stands for.
