NYC Mayor Eric Adams seeks dismissal of bribery charge brought by ‘zealous’ prosecutors

US

The bribery charge against New York Mayor Eric Adams is “extraordinarily vague” and brought by “zealous prosecutors” who spent years “casting about” for something to support a criminal case against the mayor, a defense attorney said Monday in a new court filing.

Federal prosecutors accused Adams of accepting more than $100,000 in airline upgrades and luxury hotel stays from Turkey and, in 2021, when a Turkish official told Adams it was “his turn,” Adams allegedly pressured the New York City Fire Department to rush a safety inspection of the new Turkish consulate in Manhattan.

PHOTO: New York City Mayor Eric Adams sits in federal court beside his lawyer Alex Spiro after he was charged with bribery and illegally soliciting a campaign contribution from a foreign national, on Sept. 27, 2024 in this courtroom sketch.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams sits in federal court beside his lawyer Alex Spiro during his arraignment after he was charged with bribery and illegally soliciting a campaign contribution from a foreign national, in New York City, U.S. Sept. 27, 2024 in this courtroom sketch.

Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

Adams was arraigned on the charges on Friday. He pleaded not guilty one day after the indictment was unsealed

The mayor’s attorney, Alex Spiro, argued on Monday that the alleged scheme “does not meet the definition of bribery” because the indictment does not say Adams agreed to perform any official act in exchange for the travel perks.

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“Rather, it alleges only that while serving as Brooklyn Borough President — not Mayor or even Mayor-elect — he agreed generally to assist with the ‘operation’ or ‘regulation’ of a Turkish Consulate building in Manhattan, where he had no authority whatsoever,” Spiro wrote in a motion to dismiss the bribery count.

The defense suggested what Adams is accused of doing is routine, not criminal.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams looks on outside federal court, on the day of his arraignment after he was charged with bribery and illegally soliciting a campaign contribution from a foreign national, in New York City, Sept. 27, 2024.

Caitlin Ochs/Reuters

“That extraordinarily vague allegation encompasses a wide array of normal and perfectly lawful acts that any City official would undertake for the consulate of important foreign nation,” the motion said. “The three innocuous messages Adams allegedly sent to the Fire Commissioner here fall far short of the kind official act necessary for bribery,”

Adams has pleaded not guilty to all five counts he faces. He is due back in court on Wednesday.

Spiro said the other four counts should also be dismissed.

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