NEW YORK (WABC) — Eric Adams on Friday became the first sitting mayor of New York to set foot in a courtroom as a criminal defendant.
At his arraignment, Adams entered a not guilty plea to bribery, wire fraud and accepting improper campaign contributions.
“I am not guilty, your honor,” Adams told Judge Katharine Parker.
He then waived a public reading of the 57-page indictment, telling Judge Parker he has already read it.
An indictment unsealed Thursday accused the Democrat of taking a variety of improper gifts from Turkish officials and businesspeople, including free hotel stays and deeply discounted airline tickets to destinations including France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary, Ghana and Turkey.
In return, prosecutors said, Adams did favors for his patrons. That included helping Turkey get fire department approvals to open a new diplomatic tower in Manhattan, despite concerns about its fire safety system, prosecutors said.
Adams was fingerprinted and photographed after surrendering to authorities on Friday morning.
He was released on his own recognizance following the arraignment. As a condition of his release, he can have no contact with witnesses or anyone named in the indictment. He is allowed to have contact with staff members or relatives who may have knowledge of the fact pattern as long as they do not discuss the case.
“This does not preclude Mayor Adams from having conversation about business or private family matters,” Parker said.
Adams will return to court next week for an initial conference before the district judge who will oversee the case.
“We will be filing a motion to dismiss on Wednesday,” defense attorney Alex Spiro said.
Eric Adams’ attorney Alex Spiro holds press conference after the mayor pleads not guilty at his arraignment on Friday.
As he left court, Adams was greeted with yells of support. “Eric I love you,” one said. He returned them his trademark thumbs up
Adams did not speak as his attorney insisted his client is innocent.
Spiro criticized what he described as the spectacle surrounding the case, claiming it lacks substantial evidence.
“This isn’t even a real case. This is the airline upgrade corruption case,” Spiro said.
According to Spiro, the prosecution’s case hinges on the testimony of a single staffer, whose credibility he called into question.
“There are no emails, text messages, or any corroboration whatsoever that the mayor knew about anything related to these campaign donations,” Spiro said. “What you haven’t learned is that the staffer has lied, and the government is in possession of that lie.”
Mayor Adams arrived at court for his arraignment on bribery and wire fraud charges.
Adams is specifically charged with bribery, solicitation of illegal foreign campaign contributions, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud — charges that expose the mayor to significant prison time if convicted.
Prosecutors allege that Adams received free and steeply discounted flight upgrades valued at more than $100,000, as well as campaign contributions from straw donors, some of which helped him qualify for more than $10 million in matching public campaign funds.
“Mayor Adams took these contributions knowing they were illegal and aimed at buying influence,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated. According to the indictment, the mayor received first-class flights and stays in opulent hotels while failing to disclose the gifts, as required by law. “Year after year, he kept the public in the dark, claiming he received no gifts,” Williams added.
RELATED | What is Mayor Eric Adams charged with? Read the indictment
The mayor is also accused of intervening in New York City Fire Department procedures to benefit foreign interests. In one instance, Adams allegedly pressured fire inspectors to approve the opening of a Turkish consulate building despite safety concerns, all in exchange for personal favors.
Federal law prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to U.S. elections, a safeguard to protect the democratic process. Williams detailed how Adams, aware of these restrictions, “directed his staff to pursue this illegal money,” not only during his 2021 mayoral campaign but even after taking office, allegedly rekindling the same relationships to fund his reelection bid.
The alleged conduct predates Adams’ time as mayor and dates to his time as Brooklyn Borough President. The indictment includes photos of fancy hotel rooms and other benefits the mayor allegedly took.
Adams held a press conference shortly after the indictment was unsealed and vowed to continue working as mayor.
“We are not surprised,” Adams said, as he asked New Yorkers to wait to hear his defense.
During his comments outside Gracie Mansion, Adams and other speakers, including former national president of the NAACP Hazel Dukes, battled heckling from Black Lives Matter NY, who are calling for his resignation.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams delivers remarks outside Gracie Mansion after being charged in a five-count federal indictment.
If he were to resign, he would be replaced by the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, who would then schedule a special election.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove the mayor, said she “carefully reviewed” the indictment on Thursday, in what she called “an extraordinarily difficult day for New York City.”
While she did not call on Adams to resign, she said, “It’s now up to Mayor Adams to show the City that he is able to lead.”
She added that while she reviews her options and obligations as governor, she said she expects the mayor to take the next few days to review the situation and “find an appropriate path forward to ensure the people of New York City are being well-served by their leaders.”
“We must give New Yorkers confidence that there is steady, responsible leadership at every level of government,” she said.
Meanwhile on Friday, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, chief adviser to the mayor, had her phone seized upon return to the United States from a vacation in Japan, her attorney said.
Investigators also searched her Brooklyn home, sources told ABC News.
Multiple agencies are interested in Lewis-Martin, including the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and the Southern District of New York, the same prosecutor’s office that charged the mayor with bribery, solicitation, and fraud.
Spokespeople for both offices declined to comment.
Her attorney, Arthur Aidala, issued the below statement:
“Ingrid Lewis Martin has been served with a subpoena from the Southern District of New York and her phones were given to the New York County District Attorney’s Office. She will cooperate fully with any and all investigations and Ms. Lewis is not the target of any case of which we are aware.”
Events leading to mayor’s indictment
Adams, the police officer turned politician, along with members of his inner circle has spent nearly a year under the cloud of federal investigations.
His cell phones were seized and, in recent weeks, the residences of some of his closest confidants were searched by federal agents working on several related corruption probes.
The mayor two weeks ago, accepted the resignation of Edward Caban, his handpicked police commissioner, after the authorities issued a subpoena for his phones.
The mayor’s chief counsel, Lisa Zornberg, stepped down. This week, the schools chancellor, David Banks, announced plans to retire at the end of the year. Banks had also turned over his phone to federal authorities.
RELATED | Timeline of events leading up to Mayor Adams indictment
Banks’ younger brothers, Philip, the deputy mayor for public safety, and Terence, also had their phones seized. David Banks’ fiancée, Sheena Wright, the first deputy mayor, had her phone seized as well.
Adams has said that, as a former police officer, he has always followed the rules. He has also said he has known of no “misdoings” within his administration.
He has repeatedly said he wasn’t aware of any wrongdoing, dismissing speculation that he would face charges as “rumors and innuendo.”
The federal investigations into his administration first emerged publicly on Nov. 2, 2023, when FBI agents conducted an early morning raid on the Brooklyn home of Adams’ chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs.
At the time, Adams insisted he followed the law and said he would be “shocked” if anyone on his campaign had acted illegally. “I cannot tell you how much I start the day with telling my team we’ve got to follow the law,” he told reporters at the time.
Days later, FBI agents seized the mayor’s phones and iPad as he was leaving an event in Manhattan. The interaction was disclosed several days later by the mayor’s attorney.
Other investigations have focused on city contracts and enforcement of regulations governing bars and clubs.
Only the second African-American to lead the nation’s largest city, Adams had been hailed as the vanguard of a new generation of Democratic leader who could both support law enforcement and chart a progressive course coming out of a city-crushing pandemic.
He has led the city through a remarkable drop in violent crime after a COVID-era surge that led business leaders and residents to complain that New York was collapsing toward the bad old days of the 1980s.
Criminal Defense Attorney Richard Serafini has details on what to expect heading into the Adams corruption trial.
ABC News and the Associated Press have contributed to this report.
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