Adams is accused of, among other things, bribery, fraud and illegally recruiting and accepting foreign campaign contributions. According to the prosecutor’s office in the US metropolis, the allegations go back to at least 2014, when Adams was still the borough president of Brooklyn.
The ex-police officer, who has been mayor of New York since 2022, rejects the allegations and all calls for his resignation. It is the first indictment of federal crimes against a sitting New York mayor in the modern history of the metropolis.
According to the indictment, Adams is said to have accepted, among other things, benefits worth more than $100,000 related to international luxury travel – such as flights, hotel stays and restaurant visits – from various people, including an employee of the Turkish government, said prosecutor Damian Wiliams at a press conference . In return, Adams put pressure on the fire department to pass the fire safety inspection of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan. Adams crossed “clear red lines,” Williams said.