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Adams has rejected claims that he took extravagant travel perks and illicit campaign donations from Turkish and other foreign officials in exchange for backing the construction of a Turkish consulate. Nonetheless, Adams has declared his commitment to serve as mayor, regardless of his ongoing legal troubles. The mayor claimed the pursuits are politically motivated, stating, “I’ve done nothing wrong. Time will prove that.”

Filed in September, the case hinges on five bribery charges, with Adams’ defense accusing “zealous prosecutors” of lacking solid evidence to tie him to dealings with Turkish officials. His lawyers argue that he was only assisting a crucial foreign ally to avoid the city’s potential roadblocks. Defense attorney Alex Spiro said, “Congressmen get upgrades, they get corner suites, they get better tables at restaurants, they get free appetizers, they have their iced tea filled up.” “Courtesies to politicians are not federal crimes.”

While acknowledging that Adams accepted flight upgrades, Spiro emphasized that his client made no commitment to act on behalf of the Turkish government in return for the perks—valued over $100,000—despite prosecutors’ claims. Spiro asserted, “There was no quid pro quo. There was no this for that.”

Adams’ legal woes deepen as details of undisclosed trips surface

Prosecutors revealed that Adams failed to disclose the majority of his free or heavily discounted trips taken while serving as borough president, a clear breach of city conflict-of-interest regulations. During the news conference, Spiro initially suggested there was no legal obligation to report such trips, only to later admit—after being reminded that gifts over $50 must be disclosed—that he wasn’t fully aware of the city’s conflict-of-interest law.

Defense lawyers argued that even if Turkish officials were seeking favor with Adams, their actions would not constitute federal bribery. They declared that the “extraordinarily vague allegation encompasses a wide array of normal and perfectly lawful acts that many City officials would undertake for the consulate of an important foreign nation.” His defense stated the mayor never promised “to perform any official act at the time that he received a benefit.”

As Mayor Adams’ case unfolds, a recent Supreme Court ruling has tightened the federal corruption law, requiring that gifts to government officials be directly linked to specific actions.

According to Politico, Adams said that he’s already spoken with Trump and plans to work with the President-Elect on “infrastructure, public safety, and more issues in New York City.” 

Speaking to reporters, Adams said his main objective is to “fight on behalf of New Yorkers” and to “defend this city.”

“I communicated with the president yesterday to state that there are many issues here in the city that we want to work together with the administration to address,” Adams said. “The city must move forward and that is what our call is to do.”

He continued: “All of us want to be safe and that is something that we push for.” Adams also said that he wants New York City to be the “safest big city in America.”

Lately, Adams has attempted to be “friendly” with the President-Elect. He refused to criticize Trump after holding a Madison Square Garden rally where racist, sexist, xenophobic language was spewed. But Adams did speak out against his fellow Democrats who called Trump a “fascist.”

“I speak to my mayors across the country, and they talk about these real problems we’re having,” Adams said. “And with all that’s going on to everyday New Yorkers, we’re asking questions that, ‘Is someone a fascist?’ or ‘Is someone a Hitler?’ That’s insulting to me. That is insulting.”

“I’m not going to engage in that. Everyone needs to turn down the rhetoric. Because after Election Day, we still have to be the United States, and not the divided states,” Adams continued.

Trump even came to Adams’ defense while speaking at a dinner in October.

“I just want to be nice because I know what it’s like to be persecuted by the DOJ for speaking out against open borders,” Trump said. “We were persecuted, Eric. I was persecuted, and so were you.”

In September, Adams was indicted on criminal charges of wire fraud and conspiracy charges. The indictment also accuses the mayor of accepting flight upgrades and other luxury travel perks valued at $100,000. Also, he allegedly received illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official who sought to buy his influence.

In his ruling, Judge Dale E. Ho claimed that the Justice Department posited a “troubling” rationale for attempting to throw out the case, claiming that the mayor would help President Donald Trump with his immigration policies in New York.

Ho also will not allow prosecutors to refile the charges following the mayoral election but dismissed the case “with prejudice” which “spares Adams from having to govern in a way that pleases Trump or potentially risk having the Republican’s Justice Department revive the charges.”

“Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,” Ho wrote.

“Dismissing the case without prejudice would create the unavoidable perception that the mayor’s freedom depends on his ability to carry out the immigration enforcement priorities of the administration and that he might be more beholden to the demands of the federal government than to the wishes of his own constituents,” the judge wrote.

After the ruling, Adams praised the judge’s decision as he gave remarks outside the mayoral residence.

“As I said all along, this case never should have been brought, and I did nothing wrong,” he said.

“I have always been solely beholden to the people of this city,” the mayor continued. “No special interests, no political opponents, but just everyday New Yorkers, just you.”

When asked about his odds for reelection, Adams said bluntly: “I’m gonna win.”

Adams was also seen holding up a copy of FBI Director Kash Patel’s 2023 book “Government Gangsters.”  He encouraged people to read the book which alleged a “sinister cabal” at the heart of government.

In a statement, the DOJ said that Adams’ case had been “an example of political weaponization and a waste of resources.”

Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, stated Adams “sought and accepted improper valuable benefits,” with the indictment detailing his use of Turkish Airlines, even on inconvenient flights. In one instance, Adams flew to France via Istanbul in 2017. Prosecutors claim Adams tried to conceal the gifts by making them appear as if he had paid for them and deleting messages to cover his tracks.

According to the indictment, Adams pressured the New York Fire Department to approve a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan. He did this despite known fire safety issues. Adams allegedly threatened a fire department official’s job if they didn’t comply. Prosecutors claim Adams engaged in bribery. His foreign benefactors reportedly sought favors in exchange for the perks as his political career advanced.

On Thursday morning, federal agents searched Gracie Mansion, Adams’ official residence, as part of the investigation. His lawyer, Alex Spiro, criticized the search as a spectacle. He stated that Adams “has not been arrested and looks forward to his day in court.”

Despite calls for his resignation, including from Democratic primary challengers, Adams remains defiant. He told New Yorkers to “wait to hear our defense” and proclaimed his innocence, saying, “I would be a target — and a target I became.”

According to reports, the New York City mayor has been indicted on at least one federal criminal charge.

The indictment comes after a federal corruption investigation. United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also called for Adams immediate resignation “for the good of the City.” In a statement to the NY Times, AOC said she could “not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City.”

She added, “The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening government function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration. For the good of the city, he should resign.”

Adams spoke out and denied any wrongdoing. In a statement released Wednesday night, Adams said: “I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target—and a target I became. If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit,” Adams said.

The charges against Mayor Adams currently remain sealed it is unclear what the exact charges are.

We will keep you updated as this story continues to develop.

“This is a biblical moment,” he stated. “When Jesus was on the cross, he said, ‘God forgive them for they know not what they do.’” He then continued, “All these negroes who are asking me to step down, God forgive them. Are you stupid? I’m running my race right now.”

His comments quickly went viral, sparking intense criticism across social media. Many users expressed their frustration, with some questioning his leadership and others calling his remarks an embarrassment to the city.

Amid the growing criticism over his Black History Month remarks, Adams addressed his comments during an interview on Good Day New York. When asked if he was suggesting that all Black people should support him, he denied that was his intention.

“No, no, not at all. I’m asking for all New Yorkers to support me,” he clarified. When pressed on who specifically he was referring to, he responded, “Well, who has asked me to step down? If you look at that whole speech, the speech talked about the continuation of light in your flame and continuing to light and shine. And that’s what we’ve done in this administration with our team.”

Adams doubled down, emphasizing, “We got 8.3 million New Yorkers, 8.3 million people didn’t call for me to step down. I did just the opposite when I’m in the streets.”

CNN reported that federal prosecutor Hagan Scotten said that they are armed with evidence that Adams attempted to tamper with one of the witnesses who is cooperating with the investigation during Adams’ hearing on Wednesday (October 2).

 According to Scotten,  FBI agents has contacted one witness who was allegedly given a “clear message from the defendant” and was told to withhold facts from the  FBI. Scotten described the alleged interaction as a “significant instance of witness interference in this case.”

Scotten also said that the prosecution team can not access Adams’ cell phone although they seized it last November.  According to the indictment, authorities noted that Adams switched the password on the phone when found out that the investigation had commenced and then told authorities that he could not remember the new password. 

Eric Adams’ Lawyer speaks out:

Alex Spiro, Adams’ defense attorney, said that “is the sort of nonsense that prosecutors say when they don’t have a real case. If they had a real case, they would have brought it.”

On Thursday, (September 26), Adams was charged with bribery, fraud, and accepting illegal foreign campaign donations. The 57-page indictment alleged that Adams received over $100,000 in luxury travel benefits, including free and discounted Turkish Airlines tickets, meals, and hotel accommodations which first began in 2014 when he served as Brooklyn borough president.

Prosecutors also accuse Adams of conspiring with the Turkish government and taking official actions in exchange for these perks such as accelerating the building of the Turkish Consulate General in New York City, which had fire safety issues.

At a press conference Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Adams “sought and accepted improper valuable benefits,” and laid out the case against the embattled mayor.

“We are announcing campaign finance bribery and conspiracy charges against Eric Adams, the Mayor of New York City. As the indictment alleges, Mayor Adams engaged in a long-running conspiracy in which he solicited and knowingly accepted illegal campaign contributions from foreign donors and corporations,” Williams argued.  “As we allege, 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 businessman to buy influence with him.”

At the hearing, Spiro asked the judge if the trial could conclude by March “because of the certification process for next year’s mayoral election”, alluding to Adams’ possible reelection bid during next year’s primary.

If convicted on all charges, Adams could face a maximum of 45 years in prison.

50 Cent has suggested that he is developing a docuseries about NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who recently faced criminal charges following Diddy’s arrest. According to HipHopDX, 50 shared a video on Instagram of Mayor Eric Adams presenting Diddy with the key to New York City last year, a gesture that was later rescinded after the mogul received a swarm of sexual assault allegations. 50 then raised questions about whether there was more to the story. The rapper wrote, “This shit is getting crazy out here! Do you want a docu series on Eric Adams? [shrug emoji] I want to know what the fvck is going on here.” 50’s post follows reports that Adams is facing five criminal charges for allegedly accepting over $10 million in illegal contributions from Turkish business leaders and officials.

The allegations against Adams involve wire fraud, conspiracy, foreign national contribution, and bribery, potentially leading to substantial prison time if he is found guilty. He is the first New York City mayor currently in office to face such criminal charges. Adams said in a press conference addressing the charges, “I ask New Yorkers to hear our defense before making any judgments.” He also declined to step down from his position as mayor, stating, “My day to day will not change. I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers that I was elected to do.”

50 Cent and adams

50 has previously criticized Adams, especially regarding a plan to provide migrants with pre-paid debit cards. In an instagram post, the hip-hop star wrote, “WTF mayor Adams call my phone, I don’t understand how this works — somebody explain.” He then voiced support for controversial presidential candidate Donald Trump: “Can’t explain this I’m stuck maybe TRUMP is the answer.” 50 later disclosed that Adams contacted him to gain his support.

At the reception, Adams called those who were against his reelection bid “Negroes” as he faces his ongoing corruption case. 

“All these Negroes who were asking me to step down, God, forgive them,” Adams said. “Are you stupid? I’m running my race right now.”

During an in-person media session on Monday (March 3), Adams was asked why he used the term “Negroes” to describe those who are asking for his resignation.

Well, those Negroes knew they were wrong. You know, who are we kidding? And why are we trying to classify the term Negro as being a derogatory term? You got the Negro Improvement Lead Organization,” Adams argued. You got the United Negro College Fund. You have the National Council of Negro Women. That’s not a derogatory term. I call myself, I say to myself sometimes, Negro, you dropped the ball.

Adams also maintained his innocence of all federal charges,

“You know, what people should have been really insulted about is, here is a person that did nothing wrong, was not convicted of any criminal action, but heard the optics of people and starts saying we should usurp the power of the voters. That’s what everyone should have been angry about,” he added.

Many have called for Adams to step down after he allegedly entered into a “quid pro quo” agreement with the Trump administration. 

During an appearance on Good Day New York last week, anchor Curt Menefee asked Adams about his choice of words.

“Are you implying that if you’re Black, you have to support you?” questioned Menefee during their broadcast the following day. Adams stated he wanted all New Yorkers to support him. Menefee followed up by asking who he meant by “Negroes.”

“If you look at that whole speech, the speech talked about the continuation of lighting your flame and continuing to light and shine, and that’s what we’ve done in this administration with our team,” Adams responded. “So those who have called for me to allow my flame to prematurely be extinguished, that’s who I’m talking about.”

Menefee sought more clarity asking, “So you’re saying all New Yorkers are Negroes?” 

“I thought I was very clear,” Adams responded. “In my definition of what I said, all New Yorkers — we got 8.3 million New Yorkers, [and] 8.3 million people didn’t call for me to step down. I get just the opposite when I’m in the streets.”

The mayor then argued that calls for him to resign were undemocratic. He also shared that people should pray for his opponents.