Lauren Taylor

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS APPEARED IN COURT WEDNESDAY FOR A HEARING AFTER BEING INDICTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES. IN COURT, PROSECUTORS SAID IT’S LIKELY ADAMS COULD FACE MORE CHARGES – AND THAT ADDITIONAL DEFENDANTS WILL BE CHARGED, AS WELL.

ADAMS SPOKE AFTER HIS HEARING SAYING HE TRUSTS THE LEGAL SYSTEM AND THAT EVIDENCE WILL SHOW HE DID NOT BREAK THE LAW.

“AND I THINK THAT AS THE CASE UNFOLDS, SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SAY, ‘YOU KNOW WHAT? WE MAY HAVE JUMPED THE GUN ON ERIC ADAMS,’” THE MAYOR SAID DURING A NEWS CONFERENCE.

LAST WEEK, MAYOR ADAMS PLEADED “NOT GUILTY” TO FIVE FEDERAL CHARGES INCLUDING BRIBERY, WIRE FRAUD, CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT WIRE FRAUD, AND RECEIVING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM FOREIGN NATIONALS.

ACCORDING TO THE INDICTMENT, ADAMS IS ACCUSED OF ACCEPTING GIFTS FROM TURKISH OFFICIALS AND BUSINESSMEN – DATING BACK AT LEAST A DECADE TO WHEN ADAMS WAS BROOKLYN’S BOROUGH PRESIDENT.

HE ALLEGEDLY ACCEPTED LUXURY INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS, ENTERTAINMENT, “AS WELL AS OTHER THINGS OF VALUE FROM FOREIGN NATIONALS.”

THE INDICTMENT STATES: “AS ADAM’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.”

ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY HAGAN SCOTTEN SAYS THERE ARE OTHER INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING OTHER POTENTIAL DEFENDANTS RELATED TO ADAMS’ CASE.

ADAMS’ ATTORNEYS ARE REQUESTING THE DISMISSAL OF THE BRIBERY CHARGE.

ADAMS IS THE FIRST SITTING MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY TO BE INDICTED.

A TRIAL DATE HAS NOT YET BEEN SET.