The mayor of New York City has been charged with taking bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals.
Eric Adams “solicited and demanded” bribes, including free and heavily discounted luxury travel benefits from a Turkish official, according to an indictment filed by the US attorney’s office in Manhattan.
In a news conference held shortly after the indictment was unsealed, Mr Adams asked people “to wait to hear our defence before making any judgements”.
“My day-to-day will not change,” he said. “I will continue to do the job for 8.3 million New Yorkers that I was elected to do.
Mr Adams, 64, faces a total of five criminal charges, including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery.
The 57-page indictment from the US attorney’s office alleges there was a scheme dating back to 2014 where a Turkish official helped underwrite Mr Adams’s mayoral campaign and showered him with free rooms at opulent hotels and meals at high-end restaurants.
In return, prosecutors allege the New York mayor would pressure officials to waive safety inspections and allow the Turkish government’s 36-story consulate to open in Manhattan.
“And the 300,000-plus employees of our city’s government will continue to do their jobs because this is what we do as New Yorkers.
“This is an unfortunate day, and it’s a painful day. But inside all of that is a day when we will finally reveal why, for 10 months, I’ve gone through this. And I look forward to defending myself.”
Prosecutors allege Mr Adams “not only accepted, but sought illegal campaign contributions” to his mayoral campaign, and say a senior Turkish official “facilitated many straw donations” to the Democrat.
The same official also allegedly arranged free or discounted travel on Turkey’s national airline to destinations including France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary and Turkey for Mr Adams and his companions.
The indictment alleged Mr Adams also “compounded his gains” from illegal contributions by gaming the city’s matching funds program – which provides matches for small dollar donations.
It then adds the mayor allegedly “solicited and demanded” bribes, and is said to have created – and instructed others to create – fake paper trails to falsely suggest he had paid for free travel benefits.
A former New York police officer who spent 22 years in the force and rose to the rank of captain, Mr Adams was elected as the city’s second black mayor in 2021.
Prior to this, he was a state senator and then served as Brooklyn borough president.
Mr Adams had a duty to disclose gifts he received, but year after year “kept the public in the dark,” Damian Williams, the US attorney for Manhattan, said at a news conference.