New York Mayor Adams charged with taking bribes and illegal campaign funds | Courts News

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The mayor of New York City was indicted on federal charges that He ‘solicited and demanded’ bribes from a Turkish official.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted Thursday on federal charges alleging that he took bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources.

The indictment alleges that Adams “compounded his gains” from the illegal contributions by gaming the city’s matching funds programme, which provides a generous match for small dollar donations. His campaign received more than $10,000 in matching funds as a result of the false certifications, according to the indictment.

Adams allegedly “solicited and demanded” bribes, including free and heavily discounted luxury travel benefits from a Turkish official, the indictment alleges, noting that the official was seeking Adams’s help pertaining to regulations of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan.

FBI agents entered the mayor’s official residence and seized his phone early Thursday, hours before the indictment was made public.

In a video speech released Wednesday night, Adams promised to fight any charges against him, claiming he had been made a “target” in a case “based on lies”.

The indictment caps off an extraordinary few weeks in New York City, as federal investigators have honed in on members of Adams’s inner circle, producing a drum-beat of raids, subpoenas and high-level resignations that have thrust City Hall into crisis.