New York Mayor Eric Adams arrived at federal court in Manhattan on Friday, September 27, to surrender to authorities following the announcement of a five-count indictment on fraud, bribery, and corruption charges.
According to his attorney, the FBI seized Adams’ phone on Thursday, September 26, prior to the charges being made public, but he was not immediately taken into custody.
The 64-year-old mayor is accused of soliciting illegal campaign donations from foreign entities and falsifying documentation to conceal these actions, as detailed in a 57-page indictment that was unsealed on Thursday.
As part of the allegations, he is accused of defrauding taxpayers of $10 million over the past decade and frequently accepting free or heavily discounted vacations funded by his foreign benefactors.
In response, Adams released a video statement asserting that any charges against him would be “entirely false and based on lies.” He suggested that his criticisms of the Biden administration’s ineffective border policies had made him a target for retaliation.
“The federal government did nothing while its broken immigration policies overwhelmed our shelter system without offering any relief,” he stated in the video. “I prioritize the people of New York over party and politics.”
Investigators dismissed the notion that the case was politically motivated during a briefing on Thursday.
Later, Adams held a news briefing with prominent supporters who urged the public to allow due process to unfold.
The mayor faces one count of conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and commit wire fraud and bribery, one count of wire fraud, two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, and one count of soliciting and accepting a bribe.
If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 45 years in prison.