Federal prosecutors have strongly opposed a bid by Mayor Eric Adams to have a serious bribery count against him dismissed. This new development comes as part of Adams’ efforts to counter his indictment by Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams; the Mayor counters by insisting that his actions were not in favor of the Turkish government. This claim is primarily based on an incident where, during his tenure as Brooklyn Borough President, he allegedly persuaded the FDNY to authorize the occupation of a Manhattan high-rise building that had previously been deemed unsafe by the department. Adams’ legal counsel contended that this was merely part of his customary duties in serving constituents.
This assertion, however, was met with opposition by the prosecutors, who focused on a supposed conversation in which the Mayor himself purportedly admitted to reciprocating favors to Turkish officials. These officials, according to the prosecutors, had previously coordinated illicit campaign contributions and indulged the Mayor with free travel benefits worth around $90,000. The prosecutors under Williams presented the conversation as extremely explicit for a bribery case.
Controversially, a critical conversation took place on September 5, 2021, subsequent to Mayor Adams winning the primary election and widely expected to secure the general election victory too. By that time, the Mayor had received a variety of free and discounted perks from the Turkish government, including air travel, hotel stays, and other incentives for trips to India, France, China, Hungary, and Turkey. These claims are detailed in the indictment.
In this context, the Turkish Consulate’s new tower near the United Nations was yet to receive safety approval from fire inspectors. The then-Turkish Consul General in New York, Reyhan Ozgur, communicated to Rana Abbosova, a campaign volunteer who later joined the Mayor’s office, that since Turkey had backed Adams, it was now “his turn” to support Turkey. Following this, Adams acknowledged the request and proceeded to engage with the fire commissioner, who had earlier enquired about retaining his position when the new administration took over. Adams attempted to facilitate the opening of the building, which eventually did open under a rare “temporary certification order” approved by an inspector who allegedly feared losing his job.
The prosecutors, countering the Mayor’s claims, pointed out that Adams was in fact acknowledging a previous agreement. After he successfully influenced the FDNY to open the building, Adams requested additional perks, amounting to over $12,000 in luxury travel. Prosecutors claim Adams instructed Abbosova to arrange a vacation to Turkey for himself and his associate. He booked two economy class tickets, which a Turkish airline official upgraded to business class.
Although the Mayor planned to have a stopover in Istanbul and later fly to Ghana, the Turkish officials made the necessary arrangements. The Turkish authorities coordinated for an airport escort, a chauffeur, and dinner at a high-end restaurant during Adam’s nine-hour layover in Istanbul. Despite these generous perks, Adams didn’t report any of this in his financial disclosure forms, further complicating his predicament.
Adams’ travel arrangements and their overall value have been contested by Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro. Dismissing these accusations, Spiro labeled the situation as the “airline upgrade case” and suggested that Adams received nothing more than business class upgrades, which he argued are sometimes available to travelers. The prosecutors, however, painted a different picture of Mayor Adams strategically planning to secure lavish perks far in advance while maintaining the appearance of paying his way.
Nevertheless, the fate of the Mayor’s motion to dismiss the bribery charge now rests on the ruling by Manhattan Federal Judge Dale Ho, who is expected to make a decision promptly to facilitate moving the case towards trial. The broader implications of this case could potentially be very serious for Mayor Adams, and the broader world awaits the impending developments in this high-profile case.
