The wildest parts of New York Mayor Eric Adams’ federal indictment

New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) likes to respond to his opponents a little advice: “Let your haters be your waiters as you sit down at the table of success.”

The Justice Department now appears to be saying a few things about Adams’ success. In a 57-page, five-count indictment unsealed Thursday, federal prosecutors accused him of taking bribes from foreigners and doling out favors over a span of nearly a decade.

Others close to him have also been investigated by federal authorities, leading to several high-profile resignations this month — including Police Commissioner Edward Caban and mayor’s legal counsel Lisa Zornberg.

Adams said the allegations were “completely false” and “based on lies,” adding that he looks forward to defending himself.

“I will fight these injustices with all my strength and spirit,” he said.

Adams, a former captain in the New York Police Department, was elected mayor of the nation’s largest city in 202 on a pro-NYPD platform and is seeking re-election in 2025.

The indictment paints a picture of a man comfortable accepting luxuries for free or for a small fee, using counterfeit papers and cash to conceal them, and granting various favors in return. It also accuses him of using a donation-matching program aimed at giving New Yorkers a stronger voice in local elections to steal about $10 million in public funds.

Here’s what we found out about the allegations:

Prosecutors say foreigners seeking favors from Adams funneled money to his campaign through U.S. citizens in a “straw man” scheme.

A text exchange between a Turkish businessman and an Adams assistant provided insight into the deals:

“Fundraising in Turkey is not legal, but I think I can raise money for your campaign off the record,” the businessman wrote. When asked how Adams would formally declare the money as a campaign donation to comply with the law, the businessman responded: “He won’t declare it… Or… We will make the donation through a US citizen in the US. … A Turk … I give him cash in Turkey … Or I send it to an American … He will make a donation to you.

The aide said Adams “wouldn’t get involved in such games” because it “could cause a big stink later,” but promised to talk to Adams about it.

Adams texted his feelings about a different but similar proposal from another Turkish citizen.

‘I don’t want his willingness to help to be curtailed [sic],” Adams reportedly wrote.

According to the indictment, at least one of the Turkish nationals believed that Adams could one day be president of the United States.

Adams flew for free or at a heavily discounted rate on a Turkish airline that is majority owned by the Turkish government, according to the indictment, which noted that destinations included “France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary and Turkey itself ” were. He reportedly would have done this even if it was less convenient than other options, such as transferring via Istanbul to get to France.

Prosecutors say the business class flights to India he took with his partner in 2016 would have cost $15,000, but the couple paid less than $3,000 and accepted free upgrades. Another trip in 2017 with different companions would have regularly cost $35,000.

An Adams employee who arranged flights for him in June 2021 told an airline employee to ask for a price that was “somewhat realistic” because “we don’t want [the media] to say he flies for free.”

Turkish nationals “further arranged for Adams and his companions to receive, among other things, free rooms at lavish hotels, free meals at high-end restaurants and free luxurious entertainment while in Turkey,” the indictment said.

One conversation between Adams and an employee stood out in the indictment. The couple texted about another possible trip to Turkey in 2019.

“Oh be[n the] safe side Please delete any messages you send me,” the employee texted Adams.

He texted back: “Always do.”

In November 2023, an employee of Adams submitted to a voluntary interview with the FBI. At one point, the indictment said, “she excused herself to a bathroom and, while there, deleted the encrypted messaging applications she had used to communicate” with Adams and his Turkish contacts.

Adams is said to have ensured that a 36-story building that would serve as the new home of the Turkish consulate could open quickly in time for a visit by the Turkish president in September 2021.

The New York Fire Department was concerned about dozens of defects in the building. But a top NYFD official wrote a “conditional letter of no objection” to the building, something he had never done before, and it opened on time.

One of the straw donors, who was not a member of the city’s Turkish community, later texted Adams about an issue with the city’s Buildings Department.

“[W]We have reached a certain limit that only you can lift,” the man texted Adams, who said he would look into the matter. The man later texted his thanks.

One of the straw donors was a Turkish entrepreneur referred to in the indictment as “the Promoter,” who organizes events where rich and powerful people can meet. The indictment states that he “hoped to leverage Adams’ considerable fame in Turkey for the benefit of the promoter’s clients.”

Immediately after Adams won the 2021 mayoral election, the man suggested in a text message to another Turkish citizen that he planned to “talk to our elders in Ankara about how we can turn this into an advantage for the lobby of our country.”

Prosecutors say Adams was alive during his visits to the country. One trip included a stay at the Four Seasons, a yacht trip, a stay at a luxury beach resort, and a car and driver. He paid $720.

As mayor, Adams has not made a statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in 2022, reportedly at the request of his Turkish contacts. Turkish nationalists continue to deny the systematic massacre that began in 1915.

Prosecutors say Adams welcomed wealthy foreigners to a fundraising event at a Manhattan hotel that was billed as a climate-related event. A PowerPoint presentation was allegedly created to help conceal the true purpose of the event, saying it was organized by ‘International Sustainability Leaders’ and had a ticket price of $5,000.

When the FBI executed a search warrant on Adams’ devices in November, they discovered that his cell phone was locked. Adams claimed he recently changed the password from a four-digit number to a six-digit number – and forgot it.