WNAM REPORT: The US government has accused Eric Adams of accepting bribes from Turkish nationals. Eric Adams has become the first mayor in New York City’s 400-year history to be charged with federal crimes while in office.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) unsealed the indictment against the city’s second-ever black mayor on Thursday morning, having leaked the word of its existence the day before, as reported.
US Attorney Damian Williams of the SDNY announced the charges as part of the crusade against corruption, “especially when that corruption takes the form of illegal foreign influence on our democratic system.”
The indictment charges Adams with five counts of federal crimes, including conspiracy, wire fraud, solicitation of campaign contributions from foreign nationals, and bribery. It alleges that Adams has accepted an estimated $100,000 worth of upgrades on Turkish Airlines and at luxury hotels in Turkey since 2014, and both sought and accepted “straw” donations from Turkish nationals, which allowed him to claim $10 million in matching campaign funds from the State of New York.
