NYC Mayor Eric Adams pleads not guilty to taking bribes and illegal campaign contributions

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ and MICHAEL R. SISAK

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty Friday to federal bribery charges and other counts that have roiled the nation’s biggest city after months of investigations, searches and subpoenas.

Adams, a Democrat, entered the plea before a packed courtroom gallery in Manhattan a day after prosecutors revealed charges alleging that he accepted overseas travel and illegal campaign donations from people looking to buy his influence in city government.

The mayor is accused of exploiting a yearslong relationship with people tied to Turkey, who funded his travel and fueled his run for mayor with donations that helped him qualify for more than $10 million in public campaign funds. People who aren’t US citizens are banned by law from donating to US political candidates.

Adams pleaded not guilty to all five charges in the indictment: wire fraud, bribery, two counts of receiving campaign contributions from a foreign national, and conspiracy. If convicted of the most serious charge, wire fraud, he faces up to 20 years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

The mayor maintains that he did nothing wrong and has vowed to stay in office, rebuffing calls to quit from a growing chorus of officials, including some members of Congress and some likely challengers in next year’s mayoral election.

Adams, 64, is due back in court Wednesday for a case conference.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s embattled mayor, Eric Adams, arrived at a federal courthouse Friday morning to be arraigned on charges that he accepted illegal campaign contributions and free overseas trips from people looking to buy his influence in city government.

Adams gave a thumbs up but did not pause to speak to reporters as he headed into the Manhattan court, flanked by his own police security. He was scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker at noon.

An unsealed indictment Thursday accused the Democrat of taking a variety of improper gifts from Turkish officials and businesspeople, including free hotel stays and deeply discounted airline tickets to destinations including France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary, Ghana and Turkey.

In return, prosecutors said, Adams did favors for his employers. That included helping Turkey get fire department approvals to open a new diplomatic tower in Manhattan, despite concerns about its fire safety system, prosecutors said.

Adams says he is innocent. His lawyer has said it was neither unusual nor improper for a government official to accept some travel perks. The mayor has ever knowingly denied accepting an illegal campaign contribution and said any help he gave people navigating city bureaucracy was just part of doing his job.

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It was unclear how the mechanics of Adams’ trip through the courthouse might unfold. Many people charged with federal crimes are arrested at their homes early in the morning, booked, and then brought before a judge after spending hours or even days in detention. But that isn’t always the case and it didn’t happen with Adams.

When former US Sen. Bob Menendez, of New Jersey, was arraigned on corruption charges in the same courthouse a year ago, he also arrived as a free person in the morning, had a short appearance before a judge and walked out after around 4½ hours in the building. He was never seen in handcuffs.

The Lower Manhattan courthouse is less than two blocks from the one where former President Donald Trump was tried and convicted of falsifying business records, and the same court where a jury found Trump civilly liable for sexually assaulting the writer E. Jean Carroll in 1996. Other prominent cases there now include the sex trafficking case against hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The mayor tried to project a sense on his daily schedule that he’s continuing to go about the city’s business. He has listed meetings at 8 am and 8:30 am with senior city officials and staff. He also planned afternoon meetings, starting with one at 3:30 pm with the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, a committee that screens candidates for judicial appointments — a reminder that Adams even while under indictment retains all of his official powers, including the ability to appoint certain judges.

Adams faces conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery charges in a five-count indictment.

US Attorney Damian Williams on Thursday said that several businesspeople and a Turkish diplomat had engaged in “a multiyear scheme to buy favor” from Adams.

In public remarks Thursday, Adams asked New Yorkers to avoid making any judgments until they heard his defense.

His lawyer, Alex Spiro, told reporters the travel perks and seat upgrades Adams accepted were commonly offered to VIPs and members of Congress.

“That’s what airlines do,” he said, noting that many of the charges related to trips Adams took years ago when he was Brooklyn borough president.

Adams has so far weathered calls to resign from his critics, some Republicans and the field of potential Democratic primary challengers he is expected to face in next June’s mayoral primary. The New York Times editorial board, which did not endorse Adams when he was running for mayor in 2021, has also called on him to step down, arguing that he cannot continue to effectively govern the city while he fends off his criminal charges.

Notably, top Democrats such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries have not asked Adams to resign. Both issued statements after the indictment were unsealed saying the legal process should be allowed to play out. The New York Post’s editorial board similarly said Adams should be allowed to defend himself against the charges and described some of what is alleged in the indictment as “small potatoes.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who has the power to remove Adams from office, also did not call on Adams to resign, but she appeared to issue a warning to a mayor she has often sought to portray as a close ally.

“While I review my options and obligations as the governor of New York, I expect the mayor to take the next few days to review the situation and find an appropriate path forward to ensure the people of New York City are being well-served by their leaders,” Hochul said. “We must give New Yorkers confidence that there is steady, responsible leadership at every level of government.”

It is unclear whether Adams’ indictment is the last word on federal investigations involving the administration.

Federal prosecutors are believed to be leading multiple, separate investigations involving Adams and his senior aides and relatives of those aides. In early September, federal investigators seized devices from the police commissioner, schools chancellor, two deputy mayors and other trusted Adams confidants.

In the last two weeks alone, the police commissioner resigned and the schools chancellor announced he would retire. Neither has been charged with a crime or been publicly accused of wrongdoing.

Associated Press reporter Anthony Izaguirre in Albany contributed to this report.