New York City mayor Eric Adams was charged Thursday morning with bribery, fraud, and the solicitation of illegal foreign campaign donations. Over the past decade, federal prosecutors allege that Adams accepted tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of free flights and hotel stays from Turkish officials and businessman, who banked their influence over the Brooklyn politician for favors — like when Adams allegedly leaned on the fire department to approve a new Turkish consulate despite glaring safety issues. Thanks to straw donations from various Turkish figures, Adams was also able to collect millions in matching funds that helped bankroll his successful campaign for mayor. Below are all the bribes Adams accepted, as alleged in the indictment.
In 2015, prosecutors claimed that Adams became friendly with a Turkish entrepreneur whose job it was to connect Turkish businesses to “politicians, celebrities, and others whose influence may benefit the corporations.” Adams, who was Brooklyn borough president at the time, received free business-class tickets to Turkey. Adams reported the trip — and another free visit arranged by a Turkish official — to the New York City Conflict of Interest Board. But Feds say he didn’t disclose trips after that, which included:
Adams’s Turkish benefactors were generous enough to comp his hotel rooms and lavish excursions once he was in the country, including:
Adams and his partner, unidentified in the indictment, really loved Turkish Airlines, presumably in part thanks to all the free upgrades they received. In 2017, she texted him........