Exploring the Eric Adams indictment for bribery, wire fraud, and solicitating contributions from Turkish nationals

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — On Friday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty in a federal bribery case. He was indicted on Thursday, following weeks of resignations from members of his administration.

According to the indictment, in the 10 years since Adams became Brooklyn Borough President, he's gotten luxurious benefits from foreign nationals seeking influence. Adams failed to disclose multiple instances of free or discounted travel, lodging, and entertainment, it said, creating fake paper trails and deleting encrypted messages along the way.

You can read through the indictment at the bottom of this story. In the video below, lawmakers respond to the news:

The indictment said he began accepting exclusive travel arrangements in the fall of 2016. That's when he flew to India on Turkish Airlines with economy tickets that cost $2,286, but got free upgrades worth $15,000. In summer 2017, he flew to France, Turkey, Sri Lanka, and China using $35,000 in business class tickets that he didn't pay for, according to the indictment.

And in October 2017, a flight to Nepal via Istanbul and Beijing should have cost about $16,000. The indictment also described a stay at the St. Regis Hotel in Istanbul, where he paid under $600 for a deluxe suite worth $7,000. Later visits to Turkey, Pakistan, and Ghana also featured lavish upgrades.

Benefactors—including at least one Turkish government official—leveraged these gifts for favorable treatment. As of 2018, it alleges that he actively sought illegal campaign contributions while planning his mayoral run. In exchange, he allegedly pressured the FDNY to compromise the public safety of his constituents. A skyscraper that couldn't pass inspection in time for a visit from Tukey's president opened anyway.

A trip to Istanbul at the start of 2019 allegedly featured thousands of dollars in free upgrades, hotel stays, dinners, and boat trips. Adams also connected with foreign businessmen who legally could not donate to his campaign but pledged thousands nonetheless.

While still a candidate for Mayor of New York City, Adams brought in some six figures from Turkish interests, at least as far as the indictment could account for. And, as outlined in the document, Adams or his camp were not above implying that buying his loyalty was valuable because of the high likelihood that he would become president one day.

Adams caught charges in part for allegedly trying to hide the illegal donations that corporate and foreign interests used to impact his performance as mayor. He knowingly filed false disclosures and went around federal election laws by using straw donors, the indictment alleges. All told, he allegedly built a campaign war chest that included over $10 million in public money raised "unlawfully" from New York City's matching funds program.

The indictment details how Adams continued nurturing corrupt relationships over financials as mayor. Planning for a 2025 reelection, he kept prioritizing the interests of Turkish nationals who'd made illegal contributions to his 2021 campaign. Specifically, the indictment said he avoided publicly acknowledging the Armenian Genocide on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day 2022 at the request of a Turkish official.

The indictment outlines five criminal counts brought by a federal grand jury: bribery, solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national, wire fraud, and "conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals." The timeline of specific overt acts outlined in the first count details accepting quid pro quo benefits from 2016 to 2023, soliciting foreign contributions, instructing his staff to manage donations, and submitting false campaign finance reports.

• 2016: Free upgrades on flights from New York to India ($5,000)
• July 2017: Free flights to France, Turkey, Sri Lanka, and China ($10,000)
• July 2017: Discounted hotel stay in Istanbul ($4,000)
• October 2017: Free flights to China ($5,000)
• January 2018: Free upgrades on flights to Hungary ($14,000)
• January 2019: Free hotel stay in Istanbul ($3,000)
• June 2021: Discounted travel ($15,000)
• June 2021: Free hotel stay and entertainment ($8,500)
• November 2021: Discounted tickets to Ghana ($14,000)
• September 2023: Fundraiser with foreign nationals ($22,800)

Take a look at the indictment below: