Prosecutors ponder more charges against Mayor Adams in federal bribery case

October 2, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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MANHATTAN — MAYOR ERIC ADAMS MAY FACE ADDITIONAL CHARGES that federal prosecutors are considering, report Spectrum New York1 News and other sources. The prosecutors, working from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York disclosed this plan as he appeared for a court hearing, his first since last Friday’s arraignment, saying they may also indict others in the corruption case already opened against Adams.

The mayor was indicted on charges that, over the course of a decade, he accepted about $100,000 worth of free or deeply discounted international flights, hotel stays, meals and entertainment from foreign interests and obtained illegal campaign contributions. The allegations cover the period when Adams became Brooklyn Borough President in 2014. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten told Judge Dale Ho that evidence collected against Adams includes records from Turkish Airlines showing that he either didn’t pay for flights or that he masked the freebie by paying for a decoy economy-class ticket “to create the illusion that he was paying his way,” when he was actually receiving free upgrades worth thousands of dollars.

Additional evidence collected includes bank, credit card and phone records, campaign finance filings, emails and text messages, including some in the Turkish language.

Adams’ high-profile lead attorney, Alex Spiro, plans to file a full dismissal motion on Wednesday, asserting that the travel perks were equivalent to gratuities and that Adams’ connection with the Turkish consulate was “normal and perfectly lawful.

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