After NYC Mayor Eric Adams (D) preempted the unsealing of details in his federal criminal indictment by claiming that he was being targeted for being a champion of New Yorkers , federal prosecutors have alleged that he stole $10 million in “public funds” in order to boost his then candidacy through the illicit the solicitation of foreign campaign donations from “secret patrons” and committed bribery and wire fraud offenses.
Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that starting in 2014, when Adams was Brooklyn Borough president, the defendant “sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish govermnent official seeking to gain influence over him,” and continued doing so through his 2021 campaign for mayor.
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Federal authorities said that Adams knew that he needed to raise money to “win the race” for mayor and, to do so, “solicited and knowingly accepted straw donations from foreign sources, while continuing to secretly accept free and heavily discounted travel benefits” from a “Turkish Official,” an entrepreneur, and an airline manager.