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New York City mayor Eric Adams has been charged with fraud and bribery in what US prosecutors allege was a decade-long scheme to solicit cash and luxury travel from the Turkish government.
In an indictment unsealed on Thursday in Manhattan federal court, Adams is accused of seeking “illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value, from foreign nationals”, and providing “favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received”.
If convicted the crimes with which Adams, 64, has been charged carry a maximum sentence of dozens of years in prison.
The explosive indictment by federal prosecutors comes after a months-long corruption probe that has engulfed City Hall and prompted a string of resignations and retirements from high-ranking members of Adams’ administration.
In a statement late on Wednesday night, Adams said: “I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became.”
The former police officer, who was elected in 2021 vowing to be tough on crime, added: “If I am charged, I am innocent, and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.” He later accused investigators of attempting to undermine his credibility.
Adams, a centrist Democrat and former Brooklyn borough president, had campaigned on a law-and-order platform and pledged to crack down on homelessness in New York.
His time in office has been marred by accusations of cronyism, as well as growing criticism of his administration’s haphazard handling of migrants bussed in from the southern border.
Adams has also been facing a corruption investigation involving his 2021 election campaign.
Last year, agents raided the Brooklyn home of his 25-year-old chief campaign fundraiser Brianna Suggs, reportedly as part of a probe into donations from the Turkish state. Adams was stopped on the street soon after by the FBI, who seized his phone and laptop.
A series of other raids, some apparently unrelated to the investigation into the campaign, followed. They targeted the first deputy mayor and deputy mayor for public safety, among others.
This month, New York police commissioner Edward Caban, whose phone was reportedly seized by law enforcement, resigned, saying “the noise around recent developments” had made his work impossible. The home of Caban’s interim replacement was also searched by investigators.
Meanwhile, City Hall was rocked by the resignation of one of its senior lawyers and the unexpected retirement of David Banks, who is in charge of New York’s public school system and whose phones were also seized in the probe.
Adams, who is running for re-election next year, has consistently maintained that he has “nothing to hide” and said he was co-operating with the investigations.
He is not required to step down, but a growing number of prominent Democrats have called for his resignation, including New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said on Wednesday that she could “not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City”.
Turkey’s communications directorate did not respond to requests for comment.
Additional reporting by Adam Samson in Ankara
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