Going from bad to worse…
New York City Mayor Eric Adams could be facing a bevy of new charges after being indicted last week in a federal corruption case. On Wednesday, prosecutors said that further counts are “quite likely” and that more defendants may be implicated.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York shared the developments during a hearing in a Manhattan courtroom before U.S. District Judge Dale Ho, marking Adams’s second appearance in court since he pleaded not guilty to corruption charges last week. More counts against the mayor are “possible,” said prosecutors, who also indicated the case would include “multiple witnesses” against the mayor.
The indictment is part of a broader investigation.
Last week, Adams became the first sitting New York mayor to be indicted on federal felony charges. He pleaded not guilty and was released without bail.
Adams has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and resisting calls for his resignation. His legal team, led by high-profile attorney Alex Spiro, has accused federal prosecutors of leaking details of the case to the media and is pushing for a swift trial to resolve the matter.
Adams is accused of accepting improper benefits, including luxury travel from wealthy Turkish businesspeople, during his time as Brooklyn borough president, according to prosecutors. He is also charged with accepting illegal foreign contributions and defrauding taxpayers by misusing matching funds during his 2021 mayoral campaign.
Prosecutors allegedly have a mountain of evidence against Adams, including business records, flight logs from a Turkish airline showing Adams received $50,000 worth of free travel in 2017, and electronic records, such as GPS data, photographs, and voice memos.
During Wednesday’s hearing, the court discussed scheduling and possible motions as the case moves toward trial. Spiro pressed Ho for an expedited process, saying Adams and his lawyers “do not want this case dragging.” Spiro further argued that the government’s case was weak and based on “misleading and false” statements from witnesses.
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Good shut down NYC Govt hooray