Lawyers for New York Mayor Eric Adams asked a federal judge Monday to dismiss the bribery charge in his federal indictment, saying the government’s allegations are “extraordinarily vague” and failed to prove Adams broke the law.
Adams was charged last week with five criminal counts, including bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national.
He pleaded not guilty Friday, pledging to fight the charges and stay on as mayor. He is the first sitting mayor of New York City to face criminal charges in the modern era.
In a 25-page filing, Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, said prosecutors fell short in showing that Adams accepted bribes when he is alleged to have pressured the New York Fire Department to allow a Turkish Consulate building to open despite serious safety concerns.
“The indictment in this case alleges a ‘bribery’ scheme that does not meet the definition of bribery and indeed does not amount to a federal crime at all,” said Spiro, who cited a recent Supreme Court decision that has made it harder for the federal government to prosecute public officials on charges of corruption.
“The zealous prosecutors who secured the indictment would have alleged that kind of specific agreement if they had any evidence to support it,” Spiro added. “But they do not, and they know that Adams never entered into any such agreement.”
Instead, Spiro said, the allegation “encompasses a wide array of normal and perfectly lawful acts that any City official would undertake for the consulate of an important foreign nation.”
In the indictment, prosecutors alleged that Adams accepted illegal campaign contributions, airline upgrades and luxury hotel stays from Turkish nationals and at least one government official in exchange for political favors.
Spiro argued that the remaining counts in the indictment are “equally meritless” because they lean on a “host of false claims evidently attributable to a self-interested staffer with an axe to grind,” which he said will be revealed in litigation.
“It’s not a real case and should be dismissed,” Spiro told reporters at a news conference after he filed the motion. He also said the city is not paying Adams’ legal bills.
Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, declined to comment on the motion to dismiss the bribery charge.
“Anything that we say from here on out will be in our court filings,” he said.
Adams is due back in court for a hearing Wednesday.
Jonathan Dienst and Adam Reiss contributed.
