Mayor Adams Lived Like a Lavish Jetsetter, Reaping $10 Million in Illegal Gifts From Turkey, Says Unsealed Indictment

New York City Mayor Adams was willing to accept all sorts of political graft, including free meals at the finest restaurants and luxurious stays at deluxe hotels, while meeting with diplomats and high-flyers who lined his pockets with more than $10 million in illegal political gifts and contributions, according to a much-anticipated indictment unsealed Thursday.The criminal action confirmed nearly 10 months of speculation that federal investigators were probing him for allegedly accepting illegal foreign campaign donations from Turkish officials and that he accepted more than $100,000 in lavish travel gifts.According to the indictment, Mr. Adams took at least six trips around the world on the Turkish government’s dime. In June 2021, a Turkish official told a staffer for the mayor that their government was able to make all the arrangements “with one phone call,” including “[The] flight, yacht tour, hotels, rental cars.” It’s alleged that he pushed for the priorities of the Turkish government back at New York City in exchange for the red carpet treatment. He even tried to green-light a new skyscraper to house Turkey’s diplomatic offices. Mr. Adams is also described as a seasoned world traveler and that he took a large amount of gifts from a “senior official in the Turkish diplomatic establishment.”Among the gifts he received were described as “free rooms at opulent hotels, free meals at high-end restaurants and free luxurious entertainment while in Turkey.”The mayor is also alleged to have tried to cover up the graft he got overseas by paying “a nominal fee to create the appearance of having paid for travel that was in fact heavily discounted” and he also deleted messages with co-conspirators.The trips included a 2019 stay at the St. Regis Istanbul that would have cost $3,000 and free chauffeured cars to traipse across the country for boat tours, Turkish bath house sessions along the coast, and meals at various high-end restaurants.Mayor Adams got so accustomed to the white glove treatment that he would use Turkish Airlines for all of his travels, even if it was out of the way.“You know first stop is always instanbul,” he texted to one of his staffers during a layover in 2017 while on his way to France.“All told, the 2021 Campaign reaped over $10 million in matching funds based on the false certifications that the campaign complied with the law, when in fact ERIC ADAMS, the defendant, knowingly and repeatedly relied on illegal contributions.” reads a passage from the 57-page indictment issued by the Southern District of New York.It is also alleged that Mr. Adams sought out and received “illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals” and that the trail of corruption continued after his inauguration. “Adams soon began preparing for his next election, including by planning to solicit more illegal contributions and granting requests from those who supported his 2021 mayoral campaign,” reads a line from the unsealed indictment which also alleges that he defrauded the City of New York by funneling illegal foreign donations through straw donors based in America.Mr. Adams was charged with bribery and fraud in addition to accepting overseas donations for his political campaign. He said in a press conference outside City Hall in lower Manhattan that he has no plans to step down from his current role despite calls from other state officials to do so.“I will continue to do the job and the 300,000 plus employees of our city government will continue to do their jobs because this is what we do as New Yorkers,” the Mayor said. “It’s an insult to the heartbroken people of this city that anyone would say that they won’t do their jobs while this case proceeds in the background.”At a press conference held by investigators, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, said that most of the mayor’s travel was underwritten by Turkish parties.“I want to be clear. These upgrades and freebies were not part of some frequent flier [program],” he said.“This was a multiyear scheme to buy favor with a single New York City politician on the rise: Eric Adams,” Mr. Williams added. “Year after year, he kept the public in the dark.”The Southern District also alleges that Mr. Adams had repeatedly crossed “bright red lines” using his authority to curry favor with Turkey, including applying pressure to the Fire Department of New York to fast track a new high-rise to house the country’s consulate in Midtown Manhattan.Mr. Williams also pointed out that the travel graft Mr. Adams received had totaled more than $100,000, and that not only did the mayor not disclose that he had received the benefits, he also created fake paper trails in an attempt to cover his tracks.“That’s just a clumsy coverup,” he said.Mr. Adams held a contentious press conference shortly after the indictment was released in front of City Hall at lower Manhattan, where he and others who spoke on his behalf, and were met with a barrage of insults from hecklers, including one armed with a megaphone.“This is not a black thing! This is a justice thing,” an unidentified man shouted to Adams, flanked by members of his church.The mayor attempted to proclaim his innocence and urged the public to not let them “demonize him.”“We expected this. This is not surprising to us at all,” he said. “The actions that have unfolded over the last 10 months. The leaks. The commentary. The demonizing. This did not surprise us that we reached this day and I ask New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments.”

Mayor Adams Lived Like a Lavish Jetsetter, Reaping $10 Million in Illegal Gifts From Turkey, Says Unsealed Indictment

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