New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of “conspiring to commit telecommunications fraud, accepting bribes, and illegally receiving campaign donations from foreign nationals” as part of a probe into corruption at City Hall. These charges were unsealed by the Southern District of New York federal prosecutors on Thursday.
The indictment stems from an investigation that began in 2021, alleging that Adams has been accepting improper benefits from foreign wealthy businessmen and Turkish officials for “nearly a decade” since serving as the Brooklyn Borough President. These benefits include luxury trips and other gifts.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the investigation also focused on communications between Adams and officials from five other countries (Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea, and Uzbekistan).
US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, stated at a press conference that Adams’ actions were “long-standing” and emphasized that he received over $100,000 worth of luxury travel perks from foreign entities, severely violating the public’s trust.
The indictment mentions Adams’ long-term collaboration with Turkish officials and businessmen, who provided him with illegal donations and gifts, expecting the “rising star in New York City politics” to reciprocate, including pressuring New York Fire Department officials to expedite approvals for a 36-story Turkish consulate. The Turks believed they were not only buying the mayor’s influence but also grooming a future US president.
According to page 57 of the indictment, as Adams’ profile and power grew, his foreign sponsors sought to leverage their illicit relationships with him, especially in 2021 as he became a frontrunner for the Mayor of New York City. Adams agreed to provide favorable treatment in exchange for the illegal benefits he received. After assuming office as the Mayor, he swiftly began preparing for the next election, planning to solicit more illegal donations and repay those who supported his 2021 mayoral campaign.
Furthermore, Adams sought and accepted illegal campaign donations, which were disguised as “nominal” or “strawman” contributions, meaning the true donors funneled money through intermediaries who falsely claimed the funds as their own.
The indictment alleges that these overseas donors smuggled funds through US-based straw donors, violating federal laws aimed at preventing foreign influence in American elections. Wealthy individuals and corporations evaded laws limiting their influence over elected officials, which originally capped individual donations to candidates and banned corporate contributions. Adams boosted his fundraising by accepting these hidden illegal donations, allowing his secret benefactors to exert the undue influence that the law sought to prevent.
While the indictment does not mention names of other individuals, the role of Jennifer Zheng, Adams’ Asian Affairs Director in the City Hall, is implicated in the indictment. The FBI had searched Zheng’s two properties in the Bronx in February this year. Here are some key events involving the Asian community that are apparent in the case:
In 2016, Adams began secretly accepting free luxury trips. From July to August 2017, Adams, a close relative, and a liaison from the New York City Asian community (Zheng) traveled to Nice, France, Istanbul, Turkey, Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Beijing, China. Adams and his companions received free business class flight tickets from Turkish Airlines, totaling over $35,000.
In October 2017, Adams, accompanied by Zheng, traveled to Nepal via Istanbul and Beijing. Once again, Adams accepted business class flight tickets provided by Turkish Airlines, valued at over $16,000.
During the July and August 2017 trips to Turkey, Adams and his close relatives and Zheng also received significantly discounted accommodations at the St. Regis Istanbul hotel arranged by a promoter, owned by a female entrepreneur seeking to build a relationship with Adams. Adams stayed in the hotel’s “Bentley Suite.”
In December 2020, Adams solicited and received a false donation from a New York City developer (Businessman-4) who hails from another minority community but, similar to many Turkish donors, provided illegal donations for Adams’ 2021 campaign to gain influence.
In December 2020, two volunteers for Adams’ campaign (later became City Hall employees) asked Businessman-4 for a $10,000 donation, but instructed that it could not be directly made from a company account. The volunteers said the donation would help Businessman-4’s business once Adams was elected mayor and that further influence in the future would be “more expensive.”
Businessman-4 eventually donated $2,000 as per the advice of Adams’ staffer-1, who had requested the false donation. He then directed his subordinates to donate, with the assurance of reimbursement. Businessman-4 and his employees contributed money at a fundraising event personally attended by Adams, held at Businessman-4’s office. Adams’ team leveraged these false donations to receive a 1:8 public funding match.
After Adams was elected Mayor in November 2021, Businessman-4 sought to utilize his relationship with Adams to promote his business interests. Businessman-4 also sought assistance from Adams and his staff to organize a celebration of his ethnic community’s traditional monthly events, jointly sponsoring these activities with the City Hall.
On February 5, 2023, Businessman-4 texted Adams regarding a dispute with the New York City Building Department, mentioning “I always support you,” but he was “dealing with the Building Department” regarding lifting a stop-work order, despite assistance from Adams’ staff, Businessman-4 stated, “We have reached a restriction that only you can lift.” Adams replied, “Let me look into this.”
About a week and a half later, Businessman-4 responded to Adams, saying, “Mayor, brother, I want to thank you for your help. The Building Department’s issue has been partially resolved, and they promised to expedite the process. Thank you, I will continue to support you.”
While the indictment does not mention the names of individuals involved, last August, New York immigration news website Documented and non-profit news organization THE CITY jointly reported questionable donations submitted by Adams’ campaign team for public matching funds in the 2021 election, including donations from employees of the Flushing shopping center “The New World Mall.” The article’s title read: “New York City Mayor Adams’ ‘Donation Gate’ Rekindles Suspicion: Some claim donating for reimbursement, others claim donations were impersonated.”
A review by reporters at Epoch Times showed that on December 21, 2022, Roosevelt Avenue 136-20, where the “New World Mall” is located, received a stop-work order due to unauthorized conversion of commercial space into a massage parlor. The Building Department then referred the complaint to the Mayor’s specialized enforcement office. However, the status update on February 17, 2023, showed, “No violations found during inspection. Unable to confirm if it is an unlicensed massage parlor.” This timing appears to align with the communication between Businessman-4 and Adams regarding resolving the stop-work order.
The indictment reveals that after the federal investigation was initiated, Adams and his co-conspirators attempted to impede scrutiny into their actions. It states that as the federal probe into defendant Adams’ criminal conduct continued, actions were taken to obstruct the investigation.
On June 13, 2024, FBI agents interviewed Businessman-4 and four of his employees, who were accused of providing false donations for the 2021 campaign through Businessman-4. Most denied engaging in false donations. Businessman-4 then contacted Adams’ staffer-1, who had requested him to make false donations. Later that day, staffer-1 visited Businessman-4’s office, informing him of a recent meeting with Adams at City Hall. He inquired about the FBI interview, encouraged Businessman-4 to lie to the FBI, and requested to speak with the four employees, urging them to also lie to the FBI. Staffer-1 then photographed the subpoena sent to Businessman-4, preparing to send it to Adams.
The next day, Businessman-4 met with Adams’ staffer-1 again. The staffer-1 informed Businessman-4 that he had met with Adams earlier at City Hall that day, noting that they had left their phones outside the meeting room for “security” during discussions. Staffer-1 explained that while Adams was displeased with law enforcement contacting Businessman-4, he believed Businessman-4 would not cooperate with law enforcement.
On November 2, 2023, FBI agents executed search warrants at multiple locations, including the residences of Adams’ chief fundraiser Suggs, Businessman-5, and Adams’ staffers. Each person took actions to conceal evidence.
Upon learning that FBI agents had arrived at her residence, Adams’ fundraiser called Adams five times before answering the door. During the subsequent conversation with agents, she agreed to discuss many topics but refused to disclose who paid for her 2021 trip to Turkey. After the FBI agents left, she attempted to call Adams, who was flying to Washington D.C. for an official meeting but upon learning about the search, Adams canceled the meeting and immediately returned to New York City.
On November 6, 2023, the FBI executed search warrants on the electronic devices used by Adams. Though Adams had two phones with him, he did not have his personal phone, which was the device he used to communicate about the behaviors detailed in the indictment. When Adams presented his personal phone the next day per the subpoena, the device displayed “locked” and required a password to unlock.
Adams claimed that upon learning of the FBI investigation into his conduct, he changed the password on November 5 (the day prior) and increased the password complexity from four to six digits. He claimed this was to prevent his staff from accidentally or intentionally deleting content from his phone as he hoped to preserve the content for the investigation. However, Adams further stated that he forgot the newly set password, thus unable to provide the FBI with the unlock password.
According to court sources, Adams’ initial court appearance and arraignment are scheduled for Friday.
While unveiling the indictment to the public, the authorities urged individuals with information on Adams or other New York City employees involved in bribery, fraud, or other illegal activities to contact the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) at [email protected] or call (212) 825-2828. Additionally, those who have engaged in related activities may consider self-disclosure through emailing [email protected] to the Southern District of New York federal prosecutor’s office’s whistleblower program.