Mayor Eric Adams took bribes — including $123,000 in free flights and other ritzy perks — from foreign nationals in exchange for favors, according to a bombshell federal indictment unsealed by Manhattan prosecutors Thursday.
The five-count indictment — the first against a sitting New York City mayor — details an alleged decade-long pattern of corruption by Adams that includes fraudelently obtaining $10 million in public campaign funds.
The revelations came after the mayor was indicted by a grand jury on conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery charges amid the long-running federal probe.
“In 2014, Eric Adams, the defendant, became Brooklyn Borough President. Thereafter, for nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him,” the 57-page indictment charges.
“As Adams’s prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him, particularly when, in 2021, it became clear that Adams would become New York City’s mayor,” the filing continues.
“Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received.”
In the sprawling indictment, prosecutors laid bare an alleged scheme that helped Adams underwrite his 2021 mayoral campaign while showering him with free hotel rooms, flights on Turkey’s national airline and meals at high-end restaurants.
In exchange, Adams allegedly pressured Big Apple officials to waive inspections and push through approval for the Turkish Consulate in Manhattan, the indictment charges.