New York City Mayor Eric Adams (L) speaks at a press conference in New York City, on September 26, 2024. | Source: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / Getty
The federal indictment against New York City Mayor Eric Adams was formally unsealed on Thursday morning to reveal the nature of the criminal charges.
Keep reading to find the full text of the federal indictment brought by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
The indictment includes five federal charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations that all centered on allegations that Adams for years knowingly accepted illegal luxury travel benefits from the Turkish government that exceeded $100,000.
Adams, 64, New York City’s second Back mayor and its first in more than 30 years, is the first New York City mayor to be indicted while in office.
Adams, a former longtime NYPD police officer, is accused in part of not publicly disclosing such gifts, something that U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the mayor knew was against the law while he secretly enriched himself.
While announcing the charges on Thursday morning, Williams described Adams’ alleged attempts to cover up his crimes as being “clumsy.”
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams speaks at a press conference in New York, on September 26, 2024, on the indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. | Source: ANGELA WEISS / Getty
Adams is expected to formally surrender to law enforcement officials at some point on Thursday.
Adams has been under a federal investigation for at least three years for possibly conspiring with Turkey to receive donations from the foreign nation, which would be a violation of U.S. campaign finance laws. Adams was also being investigated for allegedly receiving other improper benefits from Turkey, which stood to benefit from a state-of-the-art Turkish consulate building in New York City. Among those alleged benefits are what the New York Times described as “valuable flight upgrades they believe the mayor received from Turkish Airlines.”
The investigations have notably included the feds confiscating electronic devices from Adams and several of his staffers, two of whom had their homes raided. Multiple others in Adams’ administration have since resigned. However, it would appear that he is the only person in his administration who is facing an indictment after Adams — a former longtime NYPD police officer who also served as Brooklyn’s borough president — was subpoenaed by the feds in August.
In a press conference before Williams announced the contents of the federal indictment, Adams held his own press conference and vowed defiantly to remain in office as mayor. It was a sentiment he expressed on Wednesday night after the indictment was first reported.
“I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Adams said in a statement Wednesday night. “If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”
Calls have grown from New York’s political establishment for Adams to resign.
Read the full indictment below.
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Video Shows NYC Mayor Eric Adams Comparing White Woman To Plantation Owner During Town Hall
The post Read The Full Federal Indictment Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams appeared first on NewsOne.
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