New York City mayor Eric Adams has been charged with fraud and bribery over an alleged long-running scheme to solicit cash and luxury travel from Turkish government officials and other wealthy foreign donors.
In an indictment unsealed on Thursday in Manhattan federal court, Adams is accused of seeking “illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign, as well as other things of value”, and providing “favourable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received”.
The explosive charges come after a months-long corruption probe that engulfed City Hall and prompted a series of resignations from high-ranking members of Adams’s administration. They mark the first criminal case in modern history against a sitting New York mayor and have sent shockwaves through the political scene in America’s largest city, where Adams — a former police captain — was once seen as a rising star.