New York's mayor charged with accepting bribes

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, was charged yesterday with accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources.

- Edward Helmore

Prosecutors allege that before and during his time as mayor, Adams has "sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him".

The five criminal counts include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to receive campaign contributions by foreign nationals, wire fraud and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national. The complaint focuses on trips by Adams and his partner to Turkey, India and Ghana on Turkish Airlines that, as an elected official, he should have disclosed.

They also relate to alleged campaign contributions made by Turkish officials through a system of "straw" donors.

Adams "did not disclose the travel benefits he had obtained in annual financial disclosures he was required to file as a New York City employee", the government alleges.

"Sometimes, Adams agreed to pay a nominal fee to create the appearance of having paid for travel that was in fact heavily discounted."

Prosecutors allege that Adams had "created and instructed others to create fake paper trails, falsely suggesting that he had paid, planned to pay, for travel benefits that were free, deleted messages with others involved in his misconduct".