Mayor Adams Bribery Charges!
New York, US, Sep 26 (EFE).-
New York City mayor Eric Adams was indicted Thursday on charges of bribery, fraud and soliciting illegal donations to the Turkish government for his 2021 mayoral campaign.
The indictment was unsealed Thursday in federal court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.
Adams, a former state senator and retired police captain, is the first mayor of the city to be indicted while in office.
The charges were filed after federal prosecutors demanded that the mayor’s office disclose all communications between the Adams administration with Turkey and five other countries.
At least a dozen FBI agents raided the mayor’s official residence at Gracie Mansion on Thursday morning, Adams’ lawyer Alex Shapiro confirmed.
Adams has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. In a video published early Thursday morning, the New York mayor said he would “fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit.”
“I know I am innocent,” he added, saying the federal government’s accusations are “entirely false, based on lies.”
“For months, leaks and rumors have been aimed at me in an attempt to undermine my credibility and paint me as guilty,” said Adams, who took office in January 2022.
In November 2023, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized some of Adams’ electronic devices as part of an inquiry into political fundraising during his 2021 campaign.
The investigations reportedly implicated some of the most senior officials in Adams’ administration, raising questions about the mayor’s ability to govern.
On Wednesday night, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the latest official to call for the mayor’s resignation.
“I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City. The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening government function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration. For the good of the city, he should resign,” Ocasio-Cortez said on X. EFE
